Issuu

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026

£4.95

WEATHERBYS STALLION SCENE

featuring Glacius, Old Mill Stud, Japan, New Bay and XTRA profiles the rise of Sioux Nation

A TIMELY OBJECTIVE

For Lot 744 at Goffs Orby Book 2, a Blackbeard half-brother to September’s Group 2 Flying Childers winner

FIVE TATTERSALLS OCTOBER PEDIGREES

All stem from the same family, and benefitted from recent updates

Saffie Osborne becomes the first female jockey to win a British Classic with her St Leger victory on Highwayman

HISTORY maker

BRED TO LAST Leo Powell chats with Sonia and Anthony Rogers of Airlie Stud, breeders of the exciting juvenile First Law

CHALDEAN FRANKEL - SUELITA (DUTCH ART)

The name on everyone’s list First yearlings have already made up to €650,000, with the highest-priced lot and highest average of any first-crop sire at the Arqana August and Goffs Premier sales

...with more to follow

LITTLE BIG BEAR EUROPEAN CHAMPION 2YO, RATED 5LBS CLEAR OF HIS NEAREST RIVAL

TIMEFORM’S HIGHEST-RATED 2YO COLT EVER FROM THE RED HOT SCAT DADDY SIRE LINE

PADDINGTON

4 GROUP 1 WINS IN JUST 68 DAYS

THE FIRST HORSE EVER TO WIN: Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes, Eclipse Stakes and Sussex Stakes

10.5% Stakes winners-runners in 2026 Second only to Dubawi in 2025 and 2026! DUBAWI

13.1%

KING OF CHANGE

10.5%

FRANKEL

10.2%

NIGHT OF THUNDER SEA THE STARS

9.3%

6.7%

WOOTTON BASSETT 6.7% ZARAK

6.0%

SIYOUNI

5.8%

LOPE DE VEGA 5.7% PINATUBO

5.2%

*Statistics from Thoroughbred Stallion Guide as on 10/09/2026

SHAYEM

1st 2026 Thoroughbred Stakes, Gr.3 1st 2026 Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, Listed 1st 2025 Silver Tankard Stakes, Listed

ONEMOREDANCE

1st 2025 Garnet Stakes, Listed COEDANA

1st 2026 Pontefract Castle Fillies’ Stakes, Listed 3rd 2026 Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes, Gr.3

LADY WITH THE LAMP

1st 2025 Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes, Listed 1st 2025 Cork Stakes, Listed 1st 2024 Legacy Stakes, Listed

contents september-october

It’s Leo

The Lloyd report

Girls Aloud

100 days

Leo manages to get to all of his social engagements in a busy September, and celebrates the people whose sporting efforts make a difference to various charities Record prices at the top, increasing caution beneath: Jamie Lloyd examines the early-season European yearling market Cathy Grassick reports on a Canadian connection and the new Empire Trillium Series that will see 14 races staged across Woodbine and Belmont racetracks British racing has no shortage of problems awaiting incoming BHA chair Simon Cox. Ed Grimshaw sets out five priorities that demand immediate attention, and preferably to be dealt with before the Christmas break

Ceiling smashed

It was fitting that history was made in the oldest British Classic, writes Aisling Crowe

Weatherbys Stallion Scene Xtra

Jill Williams reports on another record-breaking opening book at Keeneland, the sale following hot on the heels of an outstanding Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

Weatherbys stallion tables

Repeating the feat

Bred to last

Weatherbys Stallion Scene 1

Ghost lighting up pedigrees

A timely Objective

59 8

A scorching Book 1

For the second time in four years, a top-priced Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up graduate bought by Anthony Stroud for Bahrain’s royal family won the Group 1 Prix Morny, writes Jocelyn de Moubray A successful strategy — racing and bloodstock manager Rob Speers reports on Ibrahim Araci‘s successful buying and breeding policy — Araci has enjoyed a remarkable year on the track and now has a future stallion prospect in Glacius

Weatherbys Stallion Scene 2

featuring New Bay, Sands Of Mali, Japan and the Weatherbys Super Sprint fourth

www.internationalthoroughbred.net

Jocelyn de Moubray analyses the rise of Sioux Nation, and sees young sires Pinatubo and Persian King bag first Group 1 winners Leading European sires

The drugs don’t work

Taken from a recent Saracen and TBA-sponsored talk, Debbie Burt discusses anthelmintic resistance and explores drug-free methods for worm control

104 Photo finish

Going to post at Laytown

Leo Powell chats with Sonia Rogers and her son Anthony of Airlie Stud — the farm has been breeding top racehorses for over 60 years, has a leading juvenile this year and a fine draft of sales yearlings to offer this autumn Light The Ghost has recently picked up a Group 2 second, adding further to an active pedigree with five representatives set to be offered at the Tattersalls October Sale Final Objective’s Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes win has give a fine update to Lot 744, set to be sold at the Goffs Orby Sale, Book 2

Saffie Osborne

Photo by Debbie Burt

contents september-october

This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in whole or part without permission of the publisher. The views expressed in International Thoroughbred are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. While every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the content herein, or any consequences arising from them.

the team

the photographers

editor sally duckett publisher declan rickatson photography trevor jones design thoroughbred publishing

debbie burt courtesy of stud farms laura green alisha meeder tattersalls zuzanna lupa Focus on Racing

advertising declan rickatson 00 44 (0)7767 310381 declan.rickatson@btinternet.com subscriptions tracey glaysher

the printers micropress press

the writers

leo powell debbie burt aisling crowe jocelyn de moubray ed grimshaw cathy grassick jill williams jamie lloyd debbie burt

plestor house, farnham road, liss, hampshire, gu33 6jq tel: 00 44 (0) 1428 724063 info@internationalthoroughbred.net www.internationalthoroughbred.net

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subscriptions: email or call as on the left, or log on to www.facebook.com/internationalthoroughbred

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Despite a busy summer for the social diary, Leo manages to fit everything in and goes racing at The Curragh, gets to the Dublin Show, the George Mernagh Tattersalls Horse Trials and the Cartier Awards nomination lunch, while he also celebrates those who have been on fund-raising activities this summer

Dashing around

this summer

WO MONTHS AGO I wrote my diary from one of the world’s oldest cities, Byblos in Lebanon, and today, 24 hours after the Irish Champions Festival weekend, I am in the cosiness of my study in one of the loveliest areas of County Kildare. What a weekend we have just witnessed here in Ireland, with two days of some of the finest racing in Europe this year. If that was not enough sport for the weekend, golfer Shane Lowry won the Irish Open, my beloved Manchester City won the derby game against United, and we had a pair of US Open tennis finals. I will eventually get my head around all of this action! There was a very special event, too, this past weekend, and what a pity that the scheduling meant it clashed with Irish Champions Festival. Fifteen years ago – mind-boggling to think it was so long now – George Mernagh died. He was the managing director of Tattersalls Ireland, was one of the most affable and likeable people in the business and a most accomplished horseman. Before he moved back from the UK to start his role at the sales company, I was simply aware of him as a jockey, largely associated with the John Webber stable. As I worked then for Goffs, heading up their National Hunt division, I was keen to get some insight into the man who I would be “in opposition” to when he came to his native Ireland. I asked my brother Brendan, a contemporary in the saddle, what is George Mernagh like?

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This year saw the reintroduction of a reshaped event at Fairyhouse with a new date, a redesigned cross-country track from international course designer Paul Brady, and the addition of a six-year-old class bearing George’s name

He replied, “You will never meet a nicer man”. He was so right, and I am glad to say that George and I never let our professional rivalry in any way impact on what became one of the most important friendships of my life. What a tragedy it was to lose him at such a young age, having made such an impact on the business, and on the lives of so many people. He is remembered with immense fondness to this day. One of George’s great loves, if not his greatest, was eventing, and he found willing The late George Mernagh: the event he began was reinstated this year with a new date, a new format and named as the George Mernagh Tattersalls Horse Trials

it’s leo

support from Edmond Mahony when he proposed the establishment of an international event on the lands at Tattersalls Ireland. The first one took place in 2006, but in August 2020 Tattersalls announced that it was withdrawing from hosting and sponsoring the horse trials, in spite of its popularity. The reason was that the commercial realities of staging such an event were proving insurmountable. This year saw the reintroduction of a reshaped event at Fairyhouse with a new date, a redesigned cross-country track built by international course designer Paul Brady, and named the George Mernagh Tattersalls Horse Trials. It was won by the Irish international event rider Sarah Ennis. My early visit to the event was followed by a quick change of clothing and a dash to The Curragh for the conclusion of the Irish Champions Festival. On what was a glorious day, the car parks were overflowing and the crowds, as they had been at Leopardstown, were enormous and happy, everyone there to enjoy some splendid racing. The weekend will live long in everyone’s memory. My two months under review actually began with another day out at The Curragh, this time thanks to the generosity of Juddmonte, the company sponsoring the Irish Oaks in mid-July. This is a lunch to savour, and I had the pleasure of sitting with Airlie Stud’s Sonia Rogers. As it transpired, the Classic winner came from a family that she had propagated; I was shortly to end up visiting her and her son Anthony for the feature that appears in this issue. I hope readers enjoy it as much as I did in writing it.

Curragh and Dublin Show clash

In what is turning into a Curragh-centric diary, I was back there in August too for another lunch (hence the growing waistline...), this time with hosts Tony Lacy and Ed Prosser for Keeneland. This was another occasion when the phenomenon of “bilocation” would have been very useful – the day’s racing, which saw the feature won by the outstanding juvenile of 2026 in Sun Goddess, clashed with the €1 million Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland on the

Leo was at The Curragh for Irish Oaks day, entertained by Juddmonte. He got to see Johanna Walsh (Sea The Stars) win the race, a filly hailing from a family developed by Airlie Stud. Leo lunched with Sonia Rogers, and a month later visited the farm for our feature on page 74.

The day’s racing, which saw the feature Phoenix Stakes won by the outstanding juvenile of 2026 Sun Goddess, clashed with the €1 million Rolex Grand Prix of Ireland on the final day of the Dublin Horse Show

final day of the Dublin Horse Show. In any case, I managed to make it to both, and was treated to an exceptional Grand Prix competition that had the full house sat on the edges of its seats. The world’s number four rider, Steve Guerdat from Switzerland, and Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte pipped Ireland’s Jordan Coyle in a thriller. It was a case of precision Swiss timing! In fact, Coyle had a phenomenal week, which saw him enjoy four international wins, with a runner-up spot aboard Chaccolino in the Grand Prix, while third place on the podium went to Dutch rider Arne Van Heel and Keaton HV. The only other double clear in the Grand Prix came from Irish Army rider Lieutenant Michaeli Byrne, and this was well deserved, especially in the same year that the Irish Army Equitation School celebrates its centenary. In the UK, jockey Saffie Osborne became the first female to ride a British Classic winner, making headlines, while here Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Crean is the new Officer Commanding of the Irish Army Equitation School, making history as the first female officer to lead the unit. If you have never been to Ireland in August

www.internationalthoroughbred.net 11

TWO LEADING EUROPEAN SIRES Both Classic winners – Both Gr.1 sires again in 2026

SEA THE MOON

• Sire of 76 Individual Stakes Performers including 6 Gr.1 winners • 2026 Group/Stakes winners include dual Gr.1 winner and Classic winner RAYIF, unbeaten Gr.2 and Gr.3 winner BEHRAYNA and Listed winner MOONLIT SUN • Sire of over 100 individual 2yo winners including 3 Champion 2yos • Sire of German Derby and Oaks winners The Aga Khan Stud’s homebred RAYIF winner of Gr.1 Prix Jacques le Marois and Gr.1 French 2000 Guineas in 2026

STUDY OF MAN

• Sire of 16 individual Stakes performers including four-time Gr.1 winner KALPANA, 2026 dual Gr.2 winner SONS AND LOVERS and 2026 Listed winner and Gr.1-placed CHIEFLAND • Also sire of Gr.2 winners BIRTHE and DEEPONE (at 2) • A Leading European 4th crop sire in 2026 by % Worldwide Black-Type Winners to Runners Juddmonte homebred KALPANA winner of Gr.1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Gr.1 Yorkshire Oaks in 2026

i n f o @ l a n w a d e s . c o m • w w w. l a n w a d e s . c o m • Te l : + 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 6 3 8 7 5 0 2 2 2

LANWADES

The independent option

it’s leo

for the Dublin Horse Show, you must make amends. It was first held in April 1864 under the auspices of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), but organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland. Its stated aim was to “improve the quality of Ireland's horse population”. Then there were 366 entries with a total prize fund of £520. Four years later the first show to be held and organised by the RDS itself was staged on the lawns of Leinster House, now home to Ireland’s parliament. The recent show featured another centenary celebration, that of the Aga Khan Trophy for the Nations’ Cup, and more than 1,500 entries were received for the show. Costing €6 million to hold, and with more than 120,000 visitors, the Dublin Horse Show is unique. A trend in recent times is for more and more thoroughbred industry personnel to be involved at the show, and there was a trio of highlights for my fellow columnist Cathy Grassick, well done Cathy! Her yearling gelding Meadowpark Legacy took three titles, and world champion eventer Lucinda Green was one of the judges when he was adjudged champion yearling at the show. Meanwhile, the Grade 1 hurdle winner Asterion Forlonge won the racehorse to riding horse class.

Cartier Award winner Peter Willett remembered on his anniversary

Where oh where have the years gone? Harry Herbert kindly reminded lunch guests recently that I have been a Cartier and Daily Telegraph Award of Merit judge for more than two decades! The news delighted and shocked me in equal measure, but to be so has been a huge honour. I even had the added pleasure one year to make a presentation of one of the racing awards to my friend Christy Grassick. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Peter Willett being handed the beautiful Cartier horse. Some people will instantly know of Peter, but in the fastchanging bloodstock world we live in,

When it comes to having a lasting influence on racing and the breed, Willett will be remembered by older readers as one of the instigators and promoters of both the European Breeders’ Fund, and of the pattern programme

I am afraid younger readers might not – he died in late 2015 at the great age of 96. In addition to being a gifted writer, Peter was what nowadays would be called an “influencer”. He was someone who understood the bloodstock world, and it was 60 years ago that his book, An Introduction To The Thoroughbred was published. If you have never read it, find it and do so. You will read it more than once. Peter wrote other volumes; all or any of which should be in your collection. When it comes to having a lasting influence on racing and the breed, Willett will be remembered by older readers as one of the instigators and promoters of both the European Breeders’ Fund, and of the pattern programme, which led to the designation of races as Group 1, 2 and 3. How we have come to be appreciative of that, even if it is not a perfect system. So, for the next few weeks, I have to remain silent about who will be announced as the winner of the Award of Merit at the 36th Cartier Awards ceremony in November. He or she is deserving of the honour, as were all those listed for consideration. This year’s evening will be hosted by the managing director for Cartier UK and Ireland, Agathe Delpont, and our industry has reason to be indebted to her and her predecessors for their ongoing support.

Hurling for Cancer tops €2 million

A non-racing event that has a special meaning for almost every family, and which attracts Irish sportsmen and women, along with media personalities galore, to gather together once a year is an event called Hurling for Cancer. If the word and sport “hurling” is unfamiliar, here is an attempt to describe something that is often referenced as the most skilful sport of its kind. Hurling is one of Ireland’s native Gaelic games. The Scottish version is called shinty, though there are many differences. No protective padding is

www.internationalthoroughbred.net 13

it’s leo

worn by players, though a plastic protective helmet with a faceguard has been mandatory since 2010. Early forms of hurling have been played since at least the Middle Ages, with the earliest written references appearing in Irish law tracts from the 7th century. Look it up online. The charity match is the brainchild of Jim Bolger and Davy Russell and, since it was first staged in 2012, the day has raised an extraordinary €1.9 million, ring-fenced for research through the Irish Cancer Society. This year’s game took the overall sum beyond the €2 million mark.

Peter O’Reilly on charity-winning form

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association CEO Peter O’Reilly was another to raise funds recently, and he did it in a blaze of glory. He said: “This is my final horse race fund-raiser and I am doing it for two great causes, with all funds split between both charities, the Pat Smullen Cancer Trial that the late great jockey set in motion, and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, founded by Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir to fund MND research and raise awareness. The latter is to support a good friend.” Peter is well-known for raising funds and awareness over the years, a highlight being his achievement of riding a circuit around all 26 Irish racecourses in one day many years ago. Collecting money for the Irish Injured Jockeys, the former amateur rider criss-crossed the country by helicopter and car in his mission to visit all the tracks between dawn and dusk. The challenge began at Downpatrick and ended in Dundalk some 16 hours later. Peter relied on all of the racecourse managers having their gates open, while local trainers supplied a tacked-up horse ready and waiting for him to ride. Not once was he let down. Hurling star player TJ Reid and NH jockey Danny Mullins ahead of the Hurling for Cancer game in August Photo by INPHO Photography.

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The charity match is the brainchild of Jim Bolger and Davy Russell and, since its foundation in 2012, has raised an extraordinary €1.9 million, ring-fenced for cancer research

His wife Tish dropped him off at 4.30am and the helicopter was loaned by racehorse owner Barry Connell. Peter was helped by many trainers, including Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead, John Nallen, and Ted Walsh. For his latest adventure, Peter rode in, and won, this year’s shortened version of the Newmarket Town Plate on a horse trained by Dylan Cunha and owned by Advanced Access Platforms Ltd. It marked O'Reilly’s first career victory in the saddle after years of trying in amateur and charity events. The win came aboard Alibey, a four-year-old daughter of Golden Horn bred and originally raced by Anthony Oppenheimer. She was placed on the Flat before selling to Cunha and has won a maiden hurdle at Fakenham under Tabitha Worsley.

Book review

One of my passions in life is reading and collecting books, and I have an audience of some 440,000 once a month for the book reviews I do for Irish Country Living, included with Europe’s leading agricultural newspaper, the Irish Farmers Journal. Very rarely now are there any books on racing published, which is a pity, but I did come across a new novel which was published two days after I submitted my last diary. It is the first in a trilogy, was written by Callie Coles, and has a racing theme. It is called Tangled Webs. Sage Deverill flees her abusive marriage, taking her young son to the only place that has ever felt like home: her grandparents’ manor house in Newmarket. Surrounded by the kindness of family and the thunder of hooves on the Heath, Sage reconnects with the place, people and horses she loves most. She encounters Rafe Dunbarton, an ambitious trainer with a gentle soul. However, just as Sage rediscovers her freedom, her ex-husband returns in a tangle of destruction. There could be worse ways to spend an autumn evening by the fireside!

Shaquille Don’t miss his first yearlings selling now!

Emphatic winner of the Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup & Gr.1 July Cup Cartier Champion Sprinter & Longines World’s Best 3YO Sprinter in 2023 Buyers of his sought-after first yearlings already include Highflyer Bloodstock / Phil Cunningham, Sam Sangster Bloodstock, Ace Stud, Richard & Peter Fahey, Will Douglass Bloodstock / Charlie Fellowes, Peter & Ross Doyle and more...

Official

Rating:

120

Timeform

Rating:

Ben Shoare +44 (0) 7826 886666 | www.acestud.co.uk

123

the lloyd report

The Lloyd Report

Polar opposites

Photo: Coglianese Photography

Jamie Lloyd reviews the early-season European yearling sales and sees an even greater market polarisation Arqana August top lot: by Wootton Bassett, sold by Ecurie des Monceaux for a sale record price of €4,600,000 and bought by MV Magnier/White Birch Farm

S OCTOBER ARRIVES, it brings with it a change in both our climate and the European yearling auction season after a short pause in early

September. With the first three major European sales in the bag, and Tattersalls Ireland September Sale in action as this is printed, we have a moment to look at what has transpired so far following on from the spring’s breeze-up action. The yearling sales represent what has become the second major selling season in Europe each year following on from the breeze-up auctions. This year’s breeze-ups were a clear display of ongoing market trends,

but also provided the sector with a degree of correction ending a five-year growth period as there was a decline of almost nine per cent. It’s well reported that many consignors suffered difficult times this spring having purchased stock on the back of all-time highs at the 2025 yearling sales. Many top judges were left in choppy waters in an ever-polarising marketplace. The first three yearling sales in Europe this year appear, on the surface, to be following the same top-end driven approach as the two-year-old sales. Looking at the money alone there remains a distinct trend of chasing

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sire power and coveted families; the middle market and below experienced even greater demands on value, as buyers show more caution than ever. Arqana’s flagship August Sale saw mild gains: the average was up four per cent to just over €277,682, a new record, but its median fell by three per cent. As a select sale it was stacked with sire power, helping achieve an almost 80 per cent clearance rate and a total turnover of €65,533,000, up 13.7 per cent from 2025. Those results were bolstered by significant sire power – there were 16 by Lope De Vega, Night Of Thunder had eight offerings, Wootton Bassett 21, Kingman 10 and Siyouni 14.

“

This year’s Premier Sale catalogue, as always, included a sizable number of lots by first-season sires – the 96 originally catalogued making up 23 per cent of the total number of lots

“

Demand for the remaining offspring by the late Wootton Bassett continues, following the tragic death of 2025’s champion sire last September after reportedly covering 204 mares. Nineteen per cent of the Arqana catalogue featured first-season sires, including Chaldean, Modern Games and Paddington. Positioned at the start of the European sales season, the Deauvillebased sales house can often set the tone for the rest of the season, while continuing to supply top-class horses to buyers around the globe, who are fully aware of the achievements of the sale’s most recent successful graduates such as Diamond Necklace, Constitution River and Balantina. The second yearling sale of the year takes place almost 300 miles north of the iconic French seaside town, in the Yorkshire town of Doncaster. The Goffs UK Premier Sale catalogued 419 yearlings – 356 horses changed hands, resulting in an 84.96 per cent clearance rate. Total revenue fell just one per cent from last year’s high of £14,247,000, but an average of just over £40,000 represented a drop of seven per cent, while more significantly the median of £30,000 was a fall of 14 per cent. In total, 20 individual lots achieved six-figure sums, led by Happy Romance’s colt by Blue Point, who sold for £250,000, and a Night Of Thunder colt out of Snow Empire, who was knocked down for £210,000. The Goffs UK sale is synonymous with precocious types suitable for trainers and breeze-up consignors alike. It continues to be a leading source of juvenile winners in Europe, and is complemented by the Harry’s Half Million held at York, plus an additional 10 maiden races that carry a £25,000 bonus.

This year’s Premier Sale catalogue, as always, included a sizable number of lots by first-season sires – the 96 catalogued making up 23 per cent of the total. The Tattersalls Somerville Sale saw similar patterns in returns – total revenue was down 14 per cent from 2025 and both median and average fell by eight per cent. The clearance also fell by 11 per cent – 80 per cent of the horses offered exited the sales ring under new ownership. I personally had a very specific brief at the sale requiring me to focus on about a third of the catalogue initially.

Goffs UK Premier Sale top lot: the Chasemore Farm-sold Blue Point colt out of Happy Romance bought by Rabbah Bloodstock for £250,000, a first breeding venture for the McMurray Family

www.internationalthoroughbred.net 17

the lloyd report

HE SOMERVILLE SALES RACE is run on the July Course, while the October Sale race is staged on the Rowley Mile. Both races are also open to eligible horses offered in the Tattersalls October Books 3 and 4 sales. If buyers were thinking about buying one for the sales race as an option next August, then attention should be paid not only to a family’s speed but also its precocity. When considering the major factors that would reflect potential juvenile success the numbers show how nuanced the selection process can be. In this year’s Somerville Sale, 36 yearlings could boast two-yearold-winning dams, 79 had at least one sibling who won at two, and just 29 could boast two juvenile-winning siblings. That leaves 142 of the 286 lots with no significant evidence of two-year-old

“

Interestingly when looking at the sale in more depth there did appear to be a gap between the perceived brief and some of the lots on offer, at least on paper

“

I thought there were a great deal of nice horses there, but many of the better types looked to want more time, which unfortunately was not suitable for my client’s order. Throughout the session I thought there was great value to be had in the middle and lower end of the market. But as always, few slipped through and quality individuals made their money, but perhaps, despite two new record-breaking lots, many of the top horses did not achieve a premium price. And, interestingly, when looking at the sale in more depth there did appear to be a gap between the perceived brief and some of the lots on offer, at least on paper. The sale and its graduates are aimed at a lucrative sales race run over 6f in August, the Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes. There is also a second race, the 7f Tattersalls October Auction Stakes, which graduates can also be nominated for.

success in the first dam. The sales races are a key draw to the sale and the double has been accomplished on two occasions to date – Woodhay Wonder won the pair of races in 2023 and Amichi the previous year purchased for just 15,500gns. These first three European sales can’t really be compared to one another given

their stark differences, but their results can certainly show patterns in trade. Moving on, we have many sales to go with the Goffs Orby, Ireland’s premier select sale, and the two-week long Tattersalls October Sale the next European headliners. Both sales could also see last year’s slight reduction in the individual US buyers reversed. American investors now have the benefit of permanent 100 per cent bonus depreciation for qualifying thoroughbred purchases under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, while the import tariffs that added substantially to the cost of European bloodstock in 2025, were struck down by the US Supreme Court in February. Continued US continued participation in Europe’s premier sales plays a huge part in our overall trade, and will more than likely add further to the market’s polarisation as they will be focusing on our top lots.

The Ballyphilip Stud-bred and consigned filly, by Blue Point, sold for a record-breaking Tattersalls Somerville Sale top price of 190,000gns, bought by Kerri Radcliffe for owner Oliver Humphries

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SOURCES STARDOM of

October Yearling Sales

ZARAK

EXCEPTIONAL STATISTICS

17%

stakes horses to runners

VADENI VA VA VOOM

PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB & ECLIPSE STAKES HERO

EREVANN SON OF CHAMPIONS By a sire of sires out of a triple Gr.1 winner

agakhanstuds.com

SIYOUNI

KING OF THE CLASSICS

#1 Guineas sire

SEA THE STARS A SIRE FOR THE AGES “responsible for true turf greats”

SAPPHIRE SALE

15 DECEMBER 2026

PSRA Licence Number 001971

The final European Flat Sale, where FOALS, YEARLINGS, FILLIES & MARES are offered

Top 5 foals that sell for €60,000 or more are guaranteed a place in

ANY foal that sells for €30,000 or more is guaranteed a place in

Every foal that sells is guaranteed a place in

October Yearling Sale Book 2

September Yearling Sale Part I

September Yearling Sale Part II

Entry fee €295 tattersalls.ie

for foals

girls aloud

xxxxxxxxxxxx ....Girls aloud xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Canadian connection

I seem to have been having something of a Canadian connection recently and at the Goffs Classic Breeze Up I purchased an Havana Grey filly for Dr Rob Jones to race in Canada. She has landed in Woodbine and is now in training with Dale Desruisseaux. Then at the recent International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation (ITBF) conference in Paris, I had the pleasure of meeting with David Anderson, the president of Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society and principal of Anderson Farms, which recently “reacquired” Sergei Prokofiev – the farm having bred him and sold him as a yearling. We often forget the huge contribution that Canada and Canadian breeders have made to our industry. From E.P. Taylor and Northern Dancer right through to more recent producers such as Charles Fipke, breeder of Perfect Soul, Perfect Shirl and Tale Of Ekati, and John and Glenn Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms. Recently breeders John and Tanya Gunther have enjoyed success with Justify and with Without Parole, and this year won the Goodwood Celebration Mile (G2) with Zavateri returning to form after a spring training set back. The colt has already been earmarked for stud duties at Tally-Ho.

Wonderful Woodbine

In North America, an exciting new initiative is under way between Woodbine and the redeveloped Belmont Park. The Empire Trillium Series will offer 14 stakes races worth a combined $3.2 million for horses foaled in New York or Canada, creating new opportunities for breeders and owners on both sides of the border. The Toronto portion features two races on grass – the series may help generate demand in Europe as US and Canadian owners may look to source in-foal broodmares with Turf pedigrees. And the banner for attracting North American buyers to buy European Turf horses was well and truly rolled out at Sepember’s Woodbine meeting with two of the four Grade 1 Turf races won by the Godolphin team – Notable Speech (Dubawi) took the Woodbine Mile and Al Hudaiba (Dark Angel) flew home in the Summer Stakes. Other notable results saw the Wertheimers’ filly Embouteillage finish third in the Natalma Stakes (G1), although she was born in the US she is by Newmarket-based Kingman. There was also an impressive run for the Willie McCreery-trained Jancis (Tamayuz) when third in the E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1). Another impressive winner on the card was the Lope De Vega filly Lupa, who won the Grade 3 Ontario Matron Stakes.

Championship Point

The Irish Champions Festival is staged on a key weekend in advance of the Irish yearling sales and more than one stallion took the opportunity to showcase their upcoming yearlings’ credentials. Blue Point took no prisoners over the two-day meeting with some highly impressive progeny performances courtesy of Juddmonte’s

The second weekend in September was one for the girls, writes Cathy Grassick

Blue Bolt, who commanded serious respect in the Matron Stakes (G1), while Folsom Blues blazed home at The Curragh to land the National Stakes (G1) for owner-breeder Al Shira’Aa Racing. It was an excellent weekend for Juddmonte as the farm’s homebred Maire Rua won the Ingabelle Stakes (L) and was the first of two stakes winners over the weekend for Frankel – on Sunday’s card, the Oaks heroine Thundering On returned to her best to win the Blandford Stakes (G2). The farm’s resident stallion Kingman was also on the board thanks to Quddwah in the Solonaway Stakes (G2).

Hot property

Two other stallions made sure we were all feeling the heat over the weekend. Sun Goddess, by Sioux Nation, won the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) and Hotazhell, who is by Too Darn Hot, took the Irish Champion Stakes (G1); both performances set everybody’s temperatures soaring. Sun Goddess, bred by John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud, is by no means the only horse by Sioux Nation that has had people sit up and take notice (see Weatherbys Stallion Scene Xtra, page 65).

Girls allowed

Sun Goddess was not the only female to put on a show, it was definitely a weekend for breaking glass ceilings and proud to be a woman working in this great bloodstock business. At Doncaster, Saffie Osborne gave a riding masterclass on Highwayman (Persian King) to win the 250th running of the St Leger Stakes (G1) to become the first female to win a British Classic. The victory headed up a one-two for trainer Joseph O’Brien, but as Osborne said: “This won’t change Joseph’s life but this will change mine!” A European gold medal-winning event rider, Osborne has put in so much hard work and effort to become the rider she is today. In Ireland, another former international event rider, Jessica Harrington put in a stellar training performance to send out 50-1 shot Hotazhell to win the Irish Champions Jessica Harrington Stakes (G1). It was no fluke as the colt had won a Group 1 in Germany on his last start and had finished third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas – clearly those who underestimate Jessica Harrington sdo so at their peril!

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FIRST FOALS 2026

BRADSELL European Champion Sprinter

“Our Bradsell filly is a standout. If he gets them all like this, he will be a good stallion. We couldn’t be happier.” COLIN BRYCE Laundry Cottage Stud

Joe Bradley 07706 262046 | joe.bradley@nationalstud.co.uk Jamie Jackson 07794 459108 | jamie.jackson@nationalstud.co.uk Ed Preece 07772 159927 | edward.preece@nationalstud.co.uk

Filly ex Hard Liner (Profitable)

Filly ex Shumoos (Distorted Humor)

Triple

Gr.1 WINNER

Colt ex Miss Black Jack (Soldier’s Call)

BRADSELL • DIEGO VELAZQUEZ • LOPE Y FERNANDEZ • RAJASINGHE • STRADIVARIUS

SET TO SHAKE UP THE SALES RING THIS WINTER

ed grimshaw

100 days

OMEWHERE IN SHROPSHIRE this month, ten mares belonging to Simon Cox are going about the ancient business of being infoal, and they are entirely indifferent to the fact that their owner is about to become one of the most scrutinised executives in the British sport. It is a small detail worth holding onto, because it may be the only part of Cox’s new job that will happen on schedule, obey natural law, and require nobody’s permission. Everything else he attempts will need the sign-off by at least three factions, who have spent the past decade proving they would rather sink the ship than let somebody else choose the lifeboats.

Simon Cox has around three months to sober up British racing’s boardroom. The man who spent 30 years managing beer now has to prove he can do it in racing before last orders are called... the clock is ticking, writes Ed Grimshaw

The brewer who understands decline Cox takes the chair of the British Horseracing Authority on Thursday, October 1, on an initial three-year term, arriving with a CV that reads like a quiet rebuke to the sport he is joining. Thirty years in beer, the last substantial stretch running Molson Coors’ European business — a twobillion-pound operation, 6,500 employees, a portfolio sold into a beer market that has been shrinking. If anyone arriving at Holborn this autumn understands what it looks like to manage decline with discipline instead of denial, it is the man who has

ed grimshaw

spent three decades doing precisely that with the lager industry. He will recognise the shape of the problem almost immediately. Racing’s fixture list is, in commercial terms, an over-extended product range: too many races chasing too few horses, an audience skewing older every year, a funding model that rewards volume over quality — not far from the equation British brewers spent a decade solving by closing volume-lager capacity and building premium in its place. Molson Coors did not survive four decades of falling beer consumption by scheduling a further consultation on whether people still enjoyed lager. It survived by deciding, then living, with having decided. Racing’s version of that discipline has, to date, consisted of deciding to decide later, and calling the delay a listening exercise. Managing decline honestly is a discipline. Managing it by committee is simply a slower, costlier way of denying it.

The ghost of Lord Allen Diagnosis, unfortunately, is the one thing British racing has never lacked. The BHA has commissioned enough reviews to insulate a loft. What it lacks

The BHA’s new chairman Simon Cox: the former managing director of brewer Molson Coors has plenty on his new to-do list

— and has always lacked — is the authority to act on a single one of them, because the sport it regulates is not one interest to be weighed against government and punters. It is at least three, each with an excellent commercial reason to want a different answer, and each with a seat at the table from which to strangle any answer it dislikes. Cox’s predecessor found this out the hard way. Lord Allen was appointed specifically to build an independent board, tried to build one, and was gone within six months – pushed out by the very interests his reform threatened — with Ascot flouncing out of the Racecourse Association in protest later. David Jones as caretaker chairman has kept the seat warm since. Allen’s diagnosis was correct, which is exactly why he lost his job. So the question for Cox is not whether he agrees with the analysis – everybody agrees with the analysis – but what, concretely, will be different this time. The honest answer has to be leverage, not willpower. Allen had willpower in abundance.

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ed grimshaw

Diagnosis without authority is just an expensive way of being right, and then being removed.

Nobody here is the villain A regulator that cannot say no to anyone ends up saying nothing to everyone. It is tempting to cast this as a morality play — obstructive racecourses, noble breeders, a well-meaning regulator caught helplessly in between. It explains nothing, because every party to British racing’s governing arguments is behaving exactly as its own economics require. Arena Racing Company runs a mediarights business paid substantially by volume; fixtures are its revenue line, so a director who volunteered away 100 of them would be failing in his duty. The Jockey Club earns a far greater share of its income from showpiece meetings, so scarcity serves it better than quantity — which is why its chief executive, Jim Mullen, could argue publicly and persuasively that there is too much racing, and why his organisation eventually walked out of the Racecourse Association over the impasse. The breeders and horsemen want fewer, richer races, because black-type depth and prize-money per runner are what make a British-bred foal worth producing. The small independent racecourses, for whom one fixture is a material share of annual turnover, generally want the list left exactly as it is; the large independents mostly do not. Five rational positions, sincerely held, each correct from where it sits — and the split does not even run cleanly. It runs straight through the racecourse sector itself, which is presumably why ARC’s own media-rights arm took a rival distributor to the Court of Appeal and won a finding of unlawful conspiracy, with damages running into the millions. That is not boardroom friction a good chairman charms away over dinner.

Now observe what the BHA was actually asked to do with all this: convene those five rational, self-interested parties and obtain their agreement to a decision that would cost several of them money. Not rule. Obtain agreement.

Every fixture list this decade has been negotiated like a hostage note: drafted under duress, signed by everyone, and believed by no one who signed it Put that way, the result was not merely predictable but arithmetically certain — and it will be certain again in 2028, 2029, and indefinitely.

A retreat dressed as growth If you want the disease in a single specimen jar, take the 2027 fixture list. The BHA’s own opening recommendation was a six per cent cut — 600 races, gone, a serious number built on a horse population shrinking beneath the sport’s feet. Resistance duly halved that ask to three per cent: 300 races. Those 300 were not removed either. What finally emerged, released under the cheerful banner of “growth initiatives,” was a fixture list of 1,440 for 2027 against 1,458 for 2026 — 18 fewer fixtures, the programme itself left essentially untouched. That is not a compromise reached between two reasonable positions. It is a regulator halving its own ambition, delivering almost none of the halved version, and holding a press conference about growth with a perfectly straight face.

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One admires the nerve, in the way one admires a burglar who stops to make himself a sandwich – inertia with a press officer, the sporting equivalent of calling a car that will not start a “stationary mobility programme.” Every fixture list this decade has been negotiated like a hostage note: drafted under duress, signed by everyone, and believed by no one who signed it. Follow the money and it gets more interesting still. The same sector arguing that a serious cut was unaffordable – because it would starve the Levy and media-rights income that funds prize-money – had already banked £4.4 million of Levy Board money ring-fenced for prize-money improvement, and had a further request in with that same funder even while resisting the policy that would have protected its income. You cannot tell your funder that cutting fixtures is far too dangerous to attempt, and in the same breath ask him to write an ever-larger cheque to cover the fact that nothing was cut. Both requests were made, to the same funder, in the same year, by the same industry, because nobody in British racing’s governance has the standing to force a choice between them. There was one genuine win worth noting fairly: when the Treasury confirmed its Autumn Budget, horserace betting kept its existing duty rate while other online sports betting rises to 25 per cent — a result racing’s lobbyists earned. But the same Budget raised Remote Gaming Duty from 21 to 40 per cent, and the firms paying that bill are the same bookmakers whose Levy payments, media-rights spending and sponsorship underpin racing’s finances. The direct £330 million threat forecast when racing itself faced a tax rise was avoided, but the indirect risk remains: operators facing substantially higher costs elsewhere have every incentive to examine discretionary spending on racing.

ed grimshaw

Cox should have an idea as to where things are at and have made some proactive moves and decisions by January 1, 2027

Operators facing that scale of margin pressure have every incentive to quietly trim the discretionary support that is already racing’s single largest looming source of income contraction — reckoned at up to £330 million across five years. Racing defended the front door with real skill while leaving the back one wide open.

The breeding arithmetic nobody wants to publish None of this is abstract for anyone who breeds. The British national foal crop band is down from around 4,470 in 2020 to 4,015 in 2025, with a fall of four per cent on numbers born in 2024 compared to 2025. It is the lowest figure for the last 20 years. (Weatherbys Fact File 2025) The British broodmare band has fallen from 8,055 to 7,186 over the three-year period between 2022 and 2025, a decline of 10 per cent. The Great British Bonus has done real, measurable good – it has roughly halved the price premium colts once commanded over fillies – but a bonus

Strip away the listening tour and the diary of dates, and Cox’s in-tray really holds only five items worth the name is not substitute for a governance fix. No incentive survives a funding model that keeps shrinking the pool of people willing to pay training fees. A subsidy is not a strategy; it is the industry’s polite word for a problem nobody has been made to solve. Project Pace — the scheme exploring how British racing might package its premium Flat product to attract substantial new investment — has been under development for more than two years. Despite feasibility work, Levy funding and industry discussion, it has yet to be an agreed proposition. Racing Digital is now expected to be

fully developed and tested by the end of 2026, with launch hopefully planned for 2027.

The five things that actually matter A chairmanship is not the ability to speak. It is the ability to make people who disagree with you comply anyway. Strip away the listening tour and the diary of dates, and from our perspective, Cox’s in-tray really holds only five items worth the name, and that should be his course of action. First, and by some distance the biggest: an independent board with genuine, binding voting power, in place before racing breaks for Christmas. The majority of directors should hold no current commercial interest in a racecourse group, a breeding body, a bookmaker or a media-rights business, with the chair and senior independent director empowered to take fixture and prize-money questions to a binding vote rather than requiring unanimity among parties who have previously met each other in the Court

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ed grimshaw

of Appeal. Every other item on this list is wallpaper hung on a wall that does not yet exist. Second, break the choreography before the 2028 round begins rather than after: publish, in month one, the criteria by which any future cut is non-negotiable, so nobody arrives next autumn pretending six per cent ever meant six per cent. Third, stop the Levy Board being taken for a fool. No sector gets to call a cut catastrophic and a bigger subsidy essential in the same financial year, and the board should say so in writing before anyone asks nicely a second time. Fourth, rebuild the relationship with the operators who fund most of this, rather than treating them as a cash machine that occasionally complains. A bookmaker nursing a much larger tax bill on its casino floor has every reason to quietly trim what it gives racing, and no reason to stop once it notices nobody was watching. Fifth, a hard date and an actual yes-or-no decision and move on both Project Pace and Racing Digital, both are seemingly lacking strategy. None of the five requires a working party, a further review, or a man in a good suit explaining synergies with a laser pointer.

The Anniversary Test: how you’ll know by next autumn Failure at the BHA rarely announces itself with a bang. It arrives instead as a kind of institutional déjà vu, and the diagnostic is embarrassingly simple: look at what has not changed. Cox will have failed if the 2028 fixture list, published next autumn, lands anywhere north of 1,400 meetings — the same “growth initiatives” banner stretched over essentially the same undisturbed calendar, 18 fixtures having quietly become the industry’s permanent unit of sacrifice. He will have failed if the board voting on that number is recognisably

Cox will have failed if the 2028 fixture list, published next autumn, lands anywhere north of 1,400 meetings the same board: the same commercial interests marking their own homework, the independence review filed under “ongoing”, racing’s Latin for never. And he will have failed if British racing’s relationship with government has not moved beyond a strongly worded letter about the Remote Gaming Duty – no audited account of who actually absorbs the £330 million, no seat at a Treasury table that treats the sport as an industry rather than a nostalgia act with a betting shop attached. Success and stagnation give the same press conference. The only difference is whether anything changed underneath. You will know for certain when Richard Wayman, the BHA’s admirably unflappable chief operating officer, is wheeled out once again to explain that British racing remains “going for growth” — a phrase that has now outlived two chairmen, survived a change of government, and shrugged off every foal-crop figure published against it. Project Pace, meanwhile, will be exactly where it was left: neither adopted nor abandoned, still waiting – like an unclaimed raffle prize – for some passing sovereign wealth fund or family office to sponsor out of sheer enthusiasm, because nobody inside the tent has been given the authority to and ask properly.

Why the early timing is essential None of this requires new legislation or a fight with Westminster. It requires Cox to spend the one asset every new chairman is given and every one before him has squandered: the political capital of the first few months,

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before the factions work out how to manage him rather than answer to him. Cox’s task is not to be righter than Allen – Allen was already right, and it cost him his job. It is to arrive with more power to make an answer stick than Allen was ever granted. There is a version of these 100 days that generates enormous noise and changes nothing: the listening tour, the five-point plan, a fixture process that runs 2027’s choreography all over again. And there is a version in which Cox treats the governance of the sport as the job itself, rather than the tedious preamble to it. Take the second road, and the fixture list and the funding gap stop being permanent features of the landscape and become, for the first time in a decade, problems with an actual decision-making body standing behind them. Take the first, and Cox becomes this decade’s second short chairmanship – Lord Allen with better public relations, remembered for an accurate diagnosis and not one thing that changed. Back in Shropshire, Cox’s mares will foal in the spring whether or not anybody has mended British racing’s boardroom, because life has never once waited for a governance review. That is precisely what his 100 days need to prove he has understood: the covering season does not pause for a listening tour, the foal crop does not regenerate on committee time, and every month spent managing three quarreling factions rather than governing them is a month the breed itself cannot get back. Institutions can be talked into almost anything. Biology cannot. That may be the last entirely honest process left in British racing. Cox has roughly 90 days left before Christmas to become the exception. The mares, magnificently, will not wait around to find out.

THEY’RE THE MAGIC NUMBERS

MODERN GAMES

That’s how much the highest-priced foal by the European Champion twoyear-old and Guineas winner made last year. The market’s hot on the trail.

That’s what Timeform rated him after that Queen Anne. He’s the best miler by Frankel – and his Donny yearlings have already made up to £100k.

TRIPLE TIME

That’s how many mile G1 races he won, from two to four. By Dubawi, and an outstanding winner of both a Guineas and a Lockinge – just like Night Of Thunder.

500,000 124

NATIVE TRAIL

FIVE

A RICH VEIN OF

FORM

BALLYLINCH STUD Graduates have won over 160 races in 2026 22 Blacktype Horses in 2026 include 10 Stakes winners

EXPENSIVE EXPENSIVEQUEEN QUEEN Won Won Jenny Jenny Wiley Wiley Stakes Stakes Gr.1 Gr.1 Won Won Albert Albert M. Stall M. Stall Memorial Memorial L L Purchased Purchased by Rabbah by Rabbah for for €260,000 €260,000 Bred Bred by Fermoir by Fermoir Ltd Ltd

LIMESTONE

Won Queen’s Vase Gr.2 Won Yeats Stakes L Purchased by Al Shaqab/Valmont for 210,000gns Bred by Ballylinch Stud

BALLYLINCH STUD

JANCIS JANCIS

Won Won Dahlia Dahlia Stakes Stakes Gr.2 Gr.2 nd Duke of Cambridge of Cambridge Stakes Stakes Gr.2 Gr.2 2nd 2Duke rd rd Taylor Taylor Stakes Stakes Gr.1 Gr.1 3 E.P. 3 E.P. Born Born andand raised raised at Ballylinch at Ballylinch Stud Stud Owned Owned & bred & bred by Arturo by Arturo Cousino Cousino

Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

BLUE BLUEBOLT BOLT

Won Won Matron Matron Stakes Stakes Gr.1 Gr.1 Won Won Falmouth Falmouth Stakes Stakes Gr.1 Gr.1 Won Won PrixPrix Rothschild Rothschild Gr.1 Gr.1 Won Won Duke Duke of Cambridge of Cambridge Stakes Stakes Gr.2 Gr.2 Purchased Purchased by SackvilleDonald/ by SackvilleDonald/ Juddmonte Juddmonte for for €400,000 €400,000 Bred Bred by C-Squared by C-Squared Investments Investments

MISS SCOTT

Won Snow Fairy Stakes Gr.3 Purchased by The Thoroughbred Racing Corporation for 650,000gns Bred by Ballylinch Stud & Ecurie Des Charmes

ROYAL SUPREMACY Won The Metropolitan Gr.1 (2025) Won $1,200,000 The Q22 Gr.2 Purchased by JS Bloodstock/ Andrew Balding for 65,000gns Bred by John O’Connor

DON’T MISS

our yearling consignments at &

Te l : + 3 5 3 ( 0 ) 5 6 7 7 2 4 2 1 7 • i n f o @ b a l l y l i n c h s t u d . i e • w w w. b a l l y l i n c h s t u d . i e

racing review

The

history books rewritten

Fittingly, it was Britain’s oldest Classic that smashed the glass ceiling, writes Aisling Crowe

HE WORLD has changed utterly in the two and a half centuries since Anthony St Leger devised his Sweepstake of 25 Guineas with the assistance of Lord Rockingham, a former and future Prime Minister, who won the inaugural race with an unnamed filly. Britain’s oldest Classic came into existence in the same year as America declared independence from the Crown and has endured with storied names enhancing the race’s status over the decades. Nat Flatman, Fred Archer, Gordon Richards, Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Steve Cauthen, Pat Eddery, Michael Kinane, Ryan Moore — all legendary jockeys and St Leger winners but in 250 years not one woman had ridden the winner of the St Leger – or, for that matter, in any of Britain’s five Classics.

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racing review

Highwayman powering clear to St Leger success under Saffie Osborne

In that time, three women have held the position of Prime Minister, Britain’s most recent two Queens are the kingdom’s longest-reigning monarchs, and Britain’s previous Chancellor of the Exchequer was also a woman. At Doncaster on September 12, Saffie Osborne wrote her name into the history books when she became the first woman to ride a British Classic winner aboard Highwayman. The sense of history and occasion was not lost on the winning jockey, even in the immediate aftermath of her triumph. “When I saw it was a 250th year I thought surely there has to be a good story this year? I thought surely a girl winning it would be quite a good story after 250 years!” said Osborne through tears of emotion. “This is the kind of thing that changes your life, nobody can ever take it away from you. Hayley [Turner] and Hollie [Doyle] are two people I have always looked up to enormously and they have had their firsts of doing things and this is mine. “I’m in shock, I burst into tears. I was in front and hadn’t seen anyone from two out. I’ve never celebrated before, I’ve never won a race good enough to celebrate winning! To win that was just incredible. “It was really weird, this morning I woke up and had this good feeling about today. You’re always quite hesitant to say that to anyone because most of the time you are wrong. “What that horse has done for my career — I’ve never met him before but I’ll love him forever.” The greatest day of Osborne’s racing career so far was part of a spectacular weekend for Highwayman’s trainer who had the one-two in the St Leger, his second win in the race as a trainer to add to his success in 2013 in the saddle. O’Brien repeated the trick 24 hours later with Monogram (Kingman) chasing home Folsom Blues in the Group 1 National Stakes and then with

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racing review

the Oaks heroine Thundering On (Night Of Thunder),who returned to winning ways in the Group 2 Blandford Stakes. The runner-up there was not one of O’Brien’s but the William Haggastrained Lilt, a daughter of Dank. For the winning St Leger owner John Ioannis Neocleous, the Doncaster victory was the second leg of a pretty rare double this summer. “We won the Galway Plate a month ago with King Alexander so it has been a hell of a summer, but this is a different level completely,” he remarked. Neocleous has seen his colours carried at some of National Hunt racing’s most prestigious meetings, including Cheltenham but Highwayman was a first Classic runner for the owner, who intends to keep the Leger winner in training with global ambitions in mind. “I will keep racing him,” affirmed Neocleous, who has 17 horses in Ireland. “We did expect him to at least get a place. He is a good horse and I had a chat with Joseph who said he had a good chance. He has entries in France and the Melbourne Cup, and Joseph was

I said to Saffie beforehand, ‘Let’s go make history!’ I don’t quite believe it but she did it!” expecting it [the Leger win] more than I was. “He did it so easy! I wish I could say more but I am still in shock. This horse keeps making history and I don’t know where he is going to end up but I think we are going to Australia. I’m not the one making the decisions, Joseph is!” Those decisions included the inspired choice of Osborne as jockey for the Classic. “Joseph came up with Saffie, he did call me to discuss and I was extremely happy with Saffie. “I said to to her beforehand, ‘Let’s go make history!’ I don’t quite believe it but she did it!” Neocleous purchased the colt in France as a yearling after he was bought back

Owner John Ioannis Neocleous has enjoyed quite the summer with the Galway Plate winner, too

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for €19,000 by vendors Haras d’Ellon at Arqana’s October Yearling Sale. Highwayman was bred by Thierry de la Herronniere and is also the first Group 1 winner for his sire Persian King, who stands at Haras d’Etreham. The triple Group 1 winner by Kingman excelled over a mile with victories in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) and Prix du Moulin (G1) for André Fabre. He also demonstrated his stamina when runner-up to Sottsass in the Prix du Jockey-Club and when third behind that colt and In Swoop in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, his final start and his only run over 1m4f.

ERSIAN KING is out of Pretty Please, who is a Dylan Thomas sister to Planteur (Danehill Dancer), the Group 1 Prix Ganay winner and sire who died earlier this year. Their dam is the Group 2-placed Plante Rare, a Giant’s Causeway half-sister to the multiple Group winners and Group 1-placed sires Policy Maker (Sadler’s Wells) and Pushkin (Caerleon). They are out of Palmeraie, a Lear Fan half-sister to Peinture Bleue, the dam of champion and good stallion Peintre Célèbre. The family also produced another champion in Pawneese. Highwayman is from the second crop of Persian King, who has produced eight stakes winners from 174 runners so far, which is a 4.6 per cent strike rate. His second crop has five of those stakes winners with the Group 2 and Group 3 winner Pearled Majesty and the Group 3 winner Concorde Agreement his leading performers in France. From his first crop came the Aga Khan Studs’ Group 3 winner and Classicplaced filly Cankoura — Highwayman also from an Aga Khan family. Highwayman’s dam Salyana was bought by Paul Nataf for €32,000 as a three-year-old from the Aga Khan Studs’

racing review

Folsom Blues: the National Stakes winner continued his sire Blue Point’s fine run of form in 2026

Three of Blue Point’s six Group 1 winners are out of Oasis Dream mares with Big Evs, Samangan and Folsom Blues all bred on a cross that has a 100 per cent winners-to-runner rate at the 2017 Arqana Breeding Stock Sale. By Harlan’s Holiday, she is a half-sister to the Australian Listed winner Sayed and they are out of Saliyna, a winning daughter of Linamix. Saliyna is a full-sister to the Group 1 winner and sire Slickly and a half-sister to Sichilla (Danehill), the Listed-winning dam of the Aga Khan Studs’ Group 1 winner and sire Syouni. It is also the family of top-level winners Siyarafina and Country Queen. Highwayman is the third living foal out of the now 12-year-old Salyana.

Blue on the double for Champions Festival With three Group 1 winners from his first crop, Blue Point had already marked himself out as a stallion of note, and this season his subsequent three crops have all now produced a top-level winner. Blue Bolt has emerged as the star older miler of the summer, and her successful run has been complemented by Samangan’s victory in the Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1), while in Ireland there has seen the emergence of Folsom Blues as a Guineas contender with his

demolition job on stable companion Monogram (Kingman) in the Group 1 National Stakes at The Curragh. Speaking on television after the juvenile Group 1, trainer Joseph O’Brien remarked: “He is a good colt and I was delighted by the runs of both colts but he was hugely impressive. He loved the pace and quickened up good, he’s a high-class horse. “We knew he’d love going back to 7f and that was a big performance today. I suppose the Dewhurst is the obvious spot for him but we will see how he pulls up and discuss it with the team.” A first winner at the highest level in Ireland for jockey Joey Sheridan, Folsom Blues is also a first homebred Group 1 winner for the Al Shira’Aa operation as the colt is out of the farm’s 330,000gns yearling purchase Liwa Palace. The daughter of Oasis Dream failed to win but she did earn black-type when third in the Group 3 Premio Elena e Sergio Cumani and is closely related to the Listed-placed Atlantic Star (Cape Cross). Liwa Palace has proved to be an excellent broodmare for Al Shira’Aa in her short life — she died last year at the age of 12 — having also produced the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes winner Atlantic Coast (Kodiac) and the Listed Surrey Stakes second and Whitehead Memorial Stakes third Greek Mythology, a son of Pinatubo. Her last foal, a full-brother to Folsom Blues, is entered in the Goffs Orby Sale Part 1 (Lot 106). Folsom Blues is the second juvenile Group 1 winner in his immediate family as his third dam Aqaarid won the Fillies’ Mile. She went on to win the Group 3 Fred Darling at three before finishing runner-up to another Shadwell filly — Harayir — in the 1,000 Guineas and finish sixth behind Moonshell in the Oaks. Three of Blue Point’s six Group 1 winners are out of Oasis Dream mares with Big Evs, Folsom Blues and

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UNRIVALLED

SOURCE OF HORSES IN TRAINING

ETHICAL DIAMOND Gr. 1 winner

ROYAL PATRONAGE Gr. 1 winner

PONIROS Gr. 1 NH winner

Globally, Tattersalls Horses in Training Purchases have won 288 Group/Listed Races since 2022.

SIR DELIUS Triple Gr. 1 winner

AUTUMN

TATTERSALLS HORSES IN TRAINING SALE October 26 - 30

racing review

A delighted Derrick Smith (left) leads in the brilliant Sun Goddess after her dominant Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes victory

Samangan all bred on the cross that has a 100 per cent winner-to-runner rate and 26 per cent stakes winner-torunner. Blue Point’s current crop of juveniles is his most inexpensively bred to hit the track as his advertised fee at Kildangan Stud in 2023 was €35,000, the lowest of his career. That crop has still produced two exciting colts with Group 2 July Stakes winner Inner City Blues also starring over the summer. His broodmare sire is Muhaarar, the champion sprinter by Oasis Dream. Blue Point has eight stakes-placed two-year-olds to back up this pair of aces. The cross of Blue Point over Whipper mares also has a perfect record but from a much smaller sample size. However, one of the two winners bred this way is the best daughter

of Blue Point and she extended her winning sequence to five in the Group 1 Matron Stakes. That victory took Blue Bolt’s top-level tally to three and, according to trainer Andrew Balding, the four-year-old is not done yet. “Blue Bolt is a very special filly. She was always travelling in the right place and I loved the way she picked up and hit the line. We will enjoy today and think about where we go next tomorrow,” the trainer told Racing TV. Blue Point’s yearlings currently exciting buyers around Europe are his most expensively bred to come on stream at €60,000 with the future boding well for the son of Shamardal.

Sun shines on Nation Sun Goddess’s claims to be the best two-year-old in training deepened during the Irish Champions Festival

with her first attempt at 7f in the Moyglare Stud Stakes resulting in her second Group 1 success. That performance was followed by Folsom Blues’ National Stakes win and the form lines are strong — the colt had chased her home previously in the Phoenix Stakes (G1) in August. Since her defeat by Libertango at Royal Ascot, the Sioux Nation filly has gone from strength to strength winning the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes at The Curragh then making the Group 1 breakthrough before her victory at York in Harry’s Half Million by Goffs. Her Moyglare success had trainer Aidan O’Brien referring to her as a Guineas filly but the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) is next to be tackled. John Tuthill of Owenstown Stud bred Sun Goddess and he spoke with the magazine at York where he watched her extricate herself from trouble before

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racing review

bounding clear to win the sales race. “There is a lot of pride in watching her run. She is very good, she has always been a nice filly and she was very popular at the sale last year,” Tuthill commented. Tuthill explained the thinking around his placement of Sun Goddess in the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. “There were quite a few factors that payed out in that decision. There were quite a few Sioux Nation yearlings and I thought it might be better to sell early in the season, especially as the mare wasn’t proven. I was delighted with the price I got so everything worked out nicely.” That price was £120,000 paid by MV Magnier, for whom Avenue Bloodstock was bidding at Doncaster last year. Sun Goddess has a yearling half-sister by Libertango’s sire No Nay Never, who will be one of the final yearlings through the ring at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale where she is catalogued as Lot 464. The family has in fact produced two new Group 1 winners this season. Sun Goddess is out of Etoile Bleu, an unraced Starspangledbanner half-sister to the Group 3 winner Scream Blue Murder, who is the second dam of Prix Jean Prat (G1) winner Thesecretadversary, from the first crop of St Mark’s Basilica. Tuthill bought Etoile Bleu for 60,000gns carrying a Churchill colt from Baroda Stud at the 2022 Tattersalls December Mares’ Sale. Sun Goddess is the first European Group 1 winner for Sioux Nation, himself victorious in the Phoenix Stakes for O’Brien in 2017. From the final crop of Scat Daddy, Sioux Nation is now the sire of 25 stakes winners from 432 runners, which is a strike-rate of 5.7 per cent (See Weatherbys Stallion Scene Xtra with Jocelyn de Moubray, page 75) This year’s juveniles are Sioux Nation’s fifth crop and the stallion recorded a two-year-old Group race

Striding out in style: Darkness Falls

double on that weekend – Sun Goddess’s victory preceded by Final Objective’s win in Doncaster’s Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes for Wathnan Racing and trainer Hamad Al-Jehani, having finished runner-up to Arapaho Gold in the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) previously. Final Objective is Sneaky Snooze’s second winner with her first also by a son of Scat Daddy, this time Caravaggio. Sneaky Snooze is a three-parts sister to the Listed Bosra Sham Fillies’ Stakes winner Cape Factor (Oratorio) and a half-sister to My Eyes Adore You (Profitable), winner of the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes.

Darkness reigns at Leopardstown The Camelot colt Darkness Falls only got off the mark at The Curragh a fortnight before the Golden Fleece Stakes (G1) but, as has proven to be the case with Ballydoyle horses so often in the past, that was no obstacle to Group 1 success.

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Run as a top-level race for the first time, the juvenile contest’s recent winners include Auguste Rodin, Diego Velazquez and Benvenuto Cellini with two of the three going on to Classic success at three. Indeed another former winner for O’Brien is Australia so the Derby is most definitely on the agenda for Darkness Falls, whom his trainer claimed is very much like his old man. “He can go anywhere and is not going to need soft ground. He is a Camelot who is going to be a Guineas horse, like his dad was,” reported O’Brien. Bred by Lynch Bages Limited, the bay had finished third behind Green Dreamer and Shakespeare over a mile on his Leopardstown debut, but showed dramatic improvement when winning his Curragh maiden by 7l. He then comprehensively reversed the Leopardstown form in the furlonglonger Golden Fleece, in which Green Dreamer and Shakespeare finished fifth and seventh. Darkness Falls has a blend of speed and stamina on his dam’s side with No Nay Never appearing as his broodmare sire. He is also a half-brother to The Flying Seagull, a four-year-old Kodiac gelding who is trained by Hugo Palmer. They are the first two runners out of You’resobeautiful, who was unraced at two but won a 5f Naas maiden at three and was second at the same track in the Listed Polonia Stakes. Out of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Hula Angel (Woodman), You’resobeautiful is a half-sister to The Fist Of God by Sadler’s Wells, who was second in the Listed Eyrefield Stakes at two and was Grade 1-placed as a juvenile hurdler. Another half-brother is Tigris River, a son of Montjeu who won the Galway Hurdle. Tigris River’s full-sister Promise Me is the dam of the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup and Doncaster Cup (G2) winner Coltrane, who was placed in Group 1 company in the Ascot Gold Cup and Prix du Cadran.

MAKE YOUR BID

For the Future

Foundation mares. Weanlings. Racing prospects and more. Keeneland November offers the opportunity to shape a breeding programme, a racing stable and the future.

November Breeding Stock Sale NOVEMBER 3-11 | LEARN MORE AT NOVEMBER.KEENELAND.COM

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us review

Another RECORD BREAKER

“marathon”. The sale’s select Book 1, held over the first two days, however, could easily be mistaken for a sprint, for it is fast out of the gate and hotfoots it all the way to the wire with nary a breather between stunning yearling physicals with deep pedigrees and plenty of sire power. All of Keeneland’s sales set a high bar, but never more so than during Book 1 of the September Sale. On September 14 and 15, Book 1 broke its own records, a spectacular feat for a sale which traditionally serves as the bellwether for the health of American bloodstock industry. Over the two select days, 208 yearlings sold for a total of $151,400,000, an increase over the $144,185,000 grossed by 217 yearlings in 2025. The average of $727,885 was up 9.55 per cent from $664,447 over the year prior and the $600,000 median was an increase of 9.09 per cent from $550,000 in 2025.

It was another scorching Book 1 Keeneland September, writes Jill Williams

ITH WELL OVER 4,000 offerings catalogued every year, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale is often referred to as a

“It’s not that they’re massive increases; they’re more sustainable increases, which I think is more encouraging,” Keeneland’s vice president of sales Tony Lacy told reporters gathered after the conclusion of Book 1. “We are not on a sugar high; we’re very much on a solid trajectory.” For all the staggering metrics, perhaps the most telling numbers are found in the number of seven-figure yearlings sold during Book 1. Forty-one, or nearly one in five, of the 208 horses to sell brought that magical mark of $1 million or more, led by a $3.7-million Into Mischief colt. It was the highest number of sevenfigure horses sold during the opening two

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days in the September Sale’s history. Last year, 35 yearlings reached millionaire status, while in 2024, it was 30. As recently as 2021, the first year Keeneland restructured the September sale into the current and now-familiar format, there were just 11 seven-figure sellers in Book 1, a number that seemed massive at the time. The only statistic that moved the wrong direction this year is the RNA rate, which logged in at 28.77 per cent before post sales, up from 21.09 per cent last year. With the bloodstock market so strong, it can be an indicator that breeders aren’t willing to part with their yearlings for anything less than top dollar. In front of a packed house during the sale’s second session, Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm signed the ticket for the $3,700,000 Book 1 topper (Lot 242). By seven-time leading sire Into Mischief and out of the winning Bernardini mare Grazie Mille, the bay colt is a half-brother to the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby winner Mo Town and to the multiple Listed stakes winner Justique, who herself brought $2 million as a broodmare prospect in the Keeneland November ring last autumn.

us review

Keeneland September Sale top lot: colt by Into Mischief, sold by Glennwood Farm for $3,700,000 to M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm

John Gunther, who bred the colt along with his daughter Tanya’s Eurowest Bloodstock, bought the session-topping colt’s granddam as a weanling at the 2000 Keeneland November Sale for $24,000. Their Glennwood Farm raised the colt and consigned him to the sale. Despite breeding a slew of top horses on both sides of the Atlantic, Gunther will likely always be best known for producing the 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify. Now a top sire, Justify stands at Coolmore America. If this latest Book 1 star has a successful career on the track, presumably he will eventually join Justify in the Coolmore stallion barns. “He was just a big, strong colt, tremendous walk and a great presence

on him,” a visibly moved Gunther said immediately after the sale as he was inundated by both well-wishers and journalists. “I’ve never had so much vet work [by potential buyers] done on a yearling, ever. I mean, everybody loved this colt. “He’s in good hands now, and they mentioned that he’s going to stay in the US and race here, so that makes me feel really good, as well.” Gunther’s Glennwood sold a second seven-figure colt during Book 1, a halfbrother to the aforementioned Justify. By Gun Runner and out of the Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic, he fetched $1,900,000 to Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC. Gunther struck a deal with Ron Winchell to stay in for piece of the colt.

The Gun was firing Last year, the mighty Gun Runner led Book 1 with 10 seven-figure yearlings and a Book 1 average of $1,035,833 from 24 sold. Remarkably, the stallion sustained that momentum with more of the same this year. Buyers just can’t get enough of Gun Runner, with an even dozen of his Book 1 sons and daughters bringing $1 million or more and his 29 yearlings sold throughout the two days averaging $1,020,862. And no wonder. Joining his long list of Grade 1 scorers in 2026 are Travers winner Leading Change, Kentucky Oaks heroine Always A Runner, Alabama star My Gun’s Loaded, and Toyota Blue Grass winner Further Ado.

Keeneland September: Top lots, Book 1 Hip

Sire

Dam

Consignor

Purchaser

Price

242

Into Mischief

Grazie Mille

Glennwood Farm Inc., Agent

M.V. Magnier/White Birch Farm

3,700,000

313

Gun Runner

Luna Rosa

Eaton Sales, Agent

AMO Racing USA

3,100,000

Gun Runner

Twenty Carat

Four Star Sales, Agent

RTM Racing LLC

2,800,000

351

Flightline

Park Avenue

Lane’s End, Agent for Summer Wind Equine Flying Dutchmen

2,600,000

116

Gun Runner

Amazement

Darby Dan Farm, Agent VII

M.V. Magnier/White Birch Farm

2,300,000

181

Not This Time

Danzatrice

Gainesway, Agent XIV

J.S. Company, Ltd. for Yosuke Imafuku

2,100,000

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Through the conclusion of Book 1 and including Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Sale, Gun Runner has seen an astonishing 22 of his yearlings sell for seven figures this year. The Three Chimneys stallion had the $2,800,000 Keeneland session topper on Day 1 of the sale and the $3,100,000 second-highest-priced yearling on Day 2. Into Mischief and Not This Time, the only two stallions currently ranked above Gun Runner on the US sire lists, didn’t do too badly either. From 15 sold in Book 1, Into Mischief averaged $1,035,000, including six millionaires and the top lot. Twenty-nine yearlings by Not This Time sold, fetching an average of $775,345 and rounded out by six seven-figure horses. Notably, Not This Time was still moving up the ranks when these yearlings were conceived. While proving himself an elite sire, he still stood for $100,000 less than his two compatriots in 2024. This year’s breeding season marked the first year each member of the extraordinary trio stood for $250,000.

Sires with first runners No first-crop yearling sires breached millionaire status during Book 1, but two stallions with first runners did. Early Voting, a son of Gun Runner

(of course!) whose first crop includes the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes winner Miss Monica, had just one yearling admitted to the boutique portion of the sale. The colt out of Fanny, an unraced Declaration Of War mare, sold to Magnier and White Birch for $1,250,000. Buyers also kept the faith in freshman sire Flightline, who got his first Group winner in Japan with Shonan Galleon and has an additional Listed winner in the US. The Tapit stallion, whose runners are expected to improve as they age, averaged $851,111 for his 18 to sell in Book 1, including four yearlings who sold for $1 million or more. His $2,600,000 colt out of Park Avenue fetched the fourth-highest price of Book 1 when hammering to Flying Dutchmen. Flightline was the only stallion not named Gun Runner, Into Mischief, or Not This Time to sire one of the six yearlings to crest the $2 million barrier. Gun Runner sired three of those six.

Leading consignors Taylor Made topped consignors by gross, selling $27,125,000 in yearlings over the two days, but Gainesway wasn’t far behind with $26,050,000 sold in Book 1. Gainesway had the highest average — $766,176 — and sold more millionaires than any other consignor, with nine.

Payton Boersma (sat, left) and Hunter Rankin (right) of the new thoroughbred entity Flying Dutchmen

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Leading buyers Magnier and White Birch bought more seven-figure horses during Book 1 than anyone else, leading the way with five for a total gross expenditure of $10,150,000. Flying Dutchmen followed by gross, with nine horses bought for $8,725,000, while RTM Racing LLC, which represents Tagermeen Racing, also made a splash with four millionaires bought for $6,400,000, including one in partnership with Whisper Hill Farm LLC. It may be known as the world’s marketplace, but the Keeneland September Sale, particularly Book 1, has also become the spot where dreams come true. Not everyone buys or sells seven-figure yearlings, but that optimism and confidence spill over into the entire industry.

An outstanding Fasig-Tipton Saratoga If Keeneland September’s Book 1 was magical, the fairy tale truly began this summer not in Kentucky, but in New York. Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Sale, held over two evenings in August, is a boutique auction that lines up with Keeneland’s Book 1 by quality. Like Keeneland’s Book 1, the Saratoga auction broke records across the board, with 35 seven-figure horses, or nearly one in four, among the 152 sold. The Saratoga yearlings grossed $118,215,000, averaging $777,730 (up 23.6 per cent) with a median of $525,000 (a 16.7 per cent increase from the year prior). It was an intoxicating two nights as 11 yearlings leapfrogged the $2 million hurdle. The Boersma family’s Flying Dutchmen topped all buyers with $21,625,000 in purchases, including the $4,200,000 Into Mischief topper and the $4 million Gun Runner runner-up. “I genuinely believe this was the greatest horse sale I’ve ever seen in my life,” said an emotional Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning, Jr. “Last night and tonight were simply incredible. It shows what happens when you are able to assemble a magnificent group of horses on the grounds.”

ENDURIN G

LEGACY

MOUNT COOTE STUD GRADUATES

SANTORINI STAR – winner or placed in 6 of her 9 Black Type starts.

Talented

A Group or Listed winner every year for the last 23 years FIVE more Group or Listed winners in 2026:

Tiffany – Gr.1 Grosser Preis von Berlin Gr.2 Keeneland Turf Cup Invitational Stakes Santorini Star – Gr.2 Jockey Club Stakes Al Aasy – Gr.2 Grand Prix de Deauville Dreamasar – LR Hedge of Oak Stakes Marquisat – LR Prix de la Porte Madrid

TIFFANY – winner or placed in all 13 of her Black Type starts.

...and Tough Court Of Session – 6 wins, 54 runs Saisons d’Or – 12 wins 97 runs Water Of Leith – 12 wins, 105 runs Dandy Khan – 5 wins, 33 runs Hurt You Never – 14 wins, 72 runs Lhebayeb – 7 wins, 70 runs City Escape – 9 wins, 81 runs Lough Leane – 8 wins, 37 runs Indian Creak – 8 wins, 64 runs Billy No Mates – 6 wins, 57 runs All these have run in 2025/26

AL AASY – winner or placed in 21 of his 31 Black Type starts.

See the online catalogues for our forthcoming yearling consignments at:

T C

O OT

S T

Tattersalls Ireland September Sale; Tattersalls October Sales; Goffs Orby Sale

CO OTE

MOUNT COOTE STUD

Luke and Tabitha Lillingston, Mobile +353 (0)87 9195780 • luke@mountcootestud.com • www.mountcootestud.com

euro review

Repeating the feat

For the second time in four years, a top-priced Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up graduate bought by Anthony Stroud for Bahrain’s royal family won the Group 1 Prix Morny, writes Jocelyn de Moubray

euro review Left, Senorita Bonita, breezing at Newmarket in April before selling through Egmont Stud at the Tattersalls Craven Sale for a sale-topping 900,000gns, bought by Stroud Coleman

Photo: ScoopDyga, courtesy of France Galop

The daughter of Starspangledbanner is now a Group 1 winner of the Prix Morny (inset)

WO-YEAR-OLD RACING and the two-year-old in training sales have transformed over the last 25 years – the Prix Morny (G1) and its winning times are a clear demonstration of this. For the second time in four years, a top-priced two-year-old from the Tattersalls Craven Sale has won Deauville’s juvenile championship. In 2023 Vandeek, bought for 625,000gns by Anthony Stroud on behalf of KHK Racing, won the race; this year the Starspangledbanner filly Senorita Bonita repeated the feat. She had topped the same sale at 900,000gns and races for Victorious Forever, the racing name now used by some of the same Bahraini royal interests. Whatever algorithms, data and selection methods are being used by the leading buyers at Europe’s two-year-old in training sales, the selection process has never worked as efficiently. The top lots, or close to, bought by Stroud Coleman at either the Craven Sale or Arqana’s May Breeze Up Sale over the past few years have also included

Whatever algorithms and data are being used by the leading buyers at Europe’s two-year-old in training sales, the selection process has never worked as efficiently the Classic winner Ruling Court, the Group 2 winners Inner City Blues and Zanthos, Distant Storm and this year’s unbeaten and exciting two-year-old Lex Victoria. Of course, as with any sale, there have also been some expensive failures, but the level achieved by the good ones suggests that the selection process is working better than could be expected, particularly as some of these would have been hard to pick on pedigree. Senorita Bonita’s dam is an unraced daughter of a Derby winner from a family whose best recent winners had shown their best form at around 1m2f, not obviously the pedigree of a leading

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6f two-year-old filly. And yet there can be no doubt that Senorita Bonita has exceptional speed and is able to carry it over 6f in a race run at an extraordinarily fast pace, and appear to be able to quicken again. The Morny was run on very soft ground, officially 3.8 measured beforehand, and yet the winning time of 1:08.79 is the third-fastest of all time behind only Venetian Sun in 2025 and Arcano in 2009, both races run on firm ground. Five of the last ten runnings of the Morny have been run in less than 1:10.00.

Photo: ScoopDyga / France Galop

Aventure

In the previous 60 years this had happened only six times with the long-term race record time of 1:09.90 set by the filly Seven Springs in 1984. That record stood until 2009 when Arcano won in 1:07.90. The great two-year-olds of the 1970s and 1980s — Blushing Groom, Arazi and Zafonic — were just not racing in the same sort of contest as today’s sprinting two-year-olds. Arazi won, admittedly easily in a four-runner field, in a time of 1:13.30, Zafonic, on soft ground, managed only 1:14.80, while Blushing Groom won in,

Diana winner is one to go forward THE GROUP 1 PREIS DER DIANA, run at Dusseldorf at the beginning of August, attracted its usual full field of 15 with the best of the German-trained fillies joined by Lapotheose, a Wootton Bassett filly trained by Yann Barberot who had won all of her four previous starts, including the Group 2 Prix Saint Alary at Longchamp in May. The German favourite was Gestüt Fährhof’s Siyouni filly Soreanga, the winner of a Listed race at two and the Group 3 Hamburg Diana trial on her latest start. The track at Dusseldorf is always a puzzle, particularly in races with ten or more runners. For the Diana, the situation was complicated by the fact that two of the fancied German runners Gua Lipa and Lady Evi were drawn wide. As a result, the race was run at a furious pace from start to finish as this pair sprinted from the stalls in order to get a position close to the rail on the first bend. Soreanga and Lapotheose (Wootton Bassett) both took up a prominent position behind the early leaders. Soreanga made her effort at the top of the straight going to the lead and then drawing clear to beat Lapotheose by three-and-a-half lengths with the remainder a further 3l behind. Soreanga ran the final 400m two per cent slower than her race average. It has been many years since a Diana winner has gone on to win more top level races, but Soreanga has the profile to do so, particularly when her stamina comes into play. Lapotheose was probably not suited by the good to firm going and in any event her best distance is likely to be 1m2f. Soreanga’s trainer Andreas Wöhler completed the Derby/ Diana double and remains Germany’s leading Classic trainer,

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over the last 40 years or so he has won seven renewals of the Preis der Diana and six Derbys.

Torquator Tasso: three winners in the bag Germany’s two-year-old season doesn’t really get going until September, but there were two early debutants who made a mark in Munich. On July 27, Eckhard Sauren’s Saxon Warrior colt Western won a valuable conditions race over 7f with the greatest of ease beating previous winner Tango Dancer by over a length, running from the 400m to 200m mark in 10.95s. Western was bought at the BBAG September Sale and is a half-brother to the Listed winner Wild Gloria from the family of Wild Coco. On August 22, Laveran became the first winner for his sire Torquator Tasso when defeating his paternal sibling, the filly Westana by two and three-quarter lengths, with the remainder 2l and more behind. The Wöhler-trained colt’s tactical speed won the race with 200m to run, while Westana only found her stride late and was finishing best of all. Laveran is out of a Soldier Hollow mare from the family of Lando. Torquator Tasso’s first crop has 54 foals of whom eight have run so far for three winners (the second coming in the UK) and a promising runner-up. It has to be considered a good start for a son of Adlerflug, who didn’t make his own racecourse debut until May as a three-year-old.

euro review

for the era, the exceptionally fast time of 1:12.00. Even Blushing Groom’s time is the equivalent of 23l slower than Senorita Bonita! Zafonic’s time is more than 40l or close to 100m slower. The best sprint two-year-olds of today are bred and trained to be both more precocious and faster than was the case at the end of the 20th century. To return to this year’s race there are different ways of showing quite how fast the early pace was. In no other race all day in Deauville did any horse run 200m in less than 11.00s,

yet the Morny pacesetter Carry The Flag did for three consecutive 200m splits from the 200m point to the 800m pole. Senorita Bonita also managed three sub-11s 200m splits and she was the only member of the field able to accelerate in the closing stages, running from 400m out to 200m in 10.94s. Every member of the field was tired in the final 200m and Senorita Bonita ran that section some two per cent slower than her race average. And all these fast splits were achieved on very soft ground. The pace was so fast from the word go that in all probability the decisive

moment came when the stalls opened, Senorita Bonita missed the break and so didn’t join in the initial dash. Most of her rivals were unable to find a rhythm and, no doubt, to breathe regularly, and so were unable to show their best level of performance; Senorita Bonita alone was able to quicken again at the end of the race to win by 4l, a winning distance last matched by Fasliyev back in 1999. Coolmore’s tactics are not quite as predictable as they appear to be – the aim may be to set an even pace for everyone, but the speed chosen is not

The Preis der Diana winner Soreanga (yellow), a daughter of Siyouni, was always prominent in the German Group 1 and has the profile to progress again

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always as fast as is possible. Jockey Ronan Whelan and Carry The Flag went off in front in the Morny as if the aim was to break the track record over 600m, but in the Group 1 Prix Jean et Louis Romanet half an hour later Diamond Necklace’s pacemaker Moment Of Joy under Wayne Lordan set off in a leisurely French style. The pair covered the first 1000m in 1:06.92, before slowing down further and running the next two 200m splits in 13.35s and 12.82s. At this point those fillies waiting in the rear were already out of the race and the finish was contested by the four who were close up as they passed the 600m mark – Aventure, Diamond Necklace, Timeforshowcasing and Pierchic. The only one to make ground from the rear was Cankoura, who ran the final 600m faster than everyone bar the winner, but nevertheless only managed to reach fifth position. The Wertheimer brothers’ Aventure, a five-year-old daughter of Sea The Stars, showed the best turn of foot running the final 400m some 13 per cent faster than her race average and comfortably defeating the hitherto unbeaten Diamond Necklace by 2l. Aventure is a Group 1 winner over 1m4f and finished a fine second in Bluestocking’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1), yet she has also twice won the Prix Corrida (G2) over 1m2f showing an excellent turn of foot. Aventure, trained by Christophe Ferland is, in all probability, better than all of the fillies that Diamond Necklace had beaten in her long winning streak. In France these days significant two-year-old performances in Deauville come in the Listed and Group races, whereas the strongest two-year-old maidens tend to be in either July for the more forward juveniles or in September. Aside from Senorita Bonita, two-yearolds to impress in Deauville included three trained by Christopher Head. At the beginning of the month the Wertheimers’ Lope De Vega filly Data

Aventure, trained by Christophe Ferland is, in all probability, better than all of the fillies that Diamond Necklace had beaten in her long winning streak came from behind to beat a strong field in the 7f Group 3 Prix Six Perfections with her stable companion Woot Woot finishing third. At the end of the month Foxwood’s Wootton Bassett filly returned in the Group 2 Prix Calvados, a race run over the same trip but on soft ground, and made all the running to win comfortably by over 3l. For the time being Head’s best

two-year-old colt seems to be the Coolmore partnership’s Avec Toi, a son of No Nay Never. The winner of a maiden in Saint-Cloud and a Listed race in Deauville in July, he had a simple task when following up in the Group 3 Prix François Boutin over 7f and won unchallenged by 4l. He has since won the Prix la Rochette (G3). Head had already had eight two-yearold winners, as well as Palais Byzantin, who only didn’t win a maiden at Lion d’Angers because his apprentice was looking over the wrong shoulder. One of the few from the stable to be beaten when favourite for a stakes race was Big Money Man, who was second in the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen d’Elevage beaten a length and threequarters by the Karl Burke-trained Rosberg, a son of Palace Pier.

Avec Toi: trainer Christopher Head reports that the son of No Nay Never is the best he has trained

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Photo: Alisya Meeder

The beginning of a great ﬆory...

Sybille Gibson +33 6 48 31 67 53 • Erwan de Chambord +33 6 88 62 97 00 harasrm@orange.fr • www.harasdemontaigu.com •

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THE CUP IS Calling CALLING BREEDERS’ CUP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Oct. 30 & 31, 2026 • 14 Grade I Championship Races • Keeneland Over $34 million in Purses and Awards

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stallion scene

Owner Ibrahim Araci has enjoyed a remarkable season, headed by his US Grade 1 success with homebred colt Glacius — now a stallion prospect — and Royal Ascot and Lowther Stakes victories with Craven Sale purchase Libertango, the two-year-old now one of Britain and Ireland’s leading juvenile sprint fillies. Rob Speers, Araci’s racing and bloodstock manager, explains the thinking behind the owner-breeder’s dual buying and breeding policy to Aisling Crowe

A successful strategy

To breed and race a Grade 1 winner is a dream for so many people and for him to do that was wonderful...

REAMS OF DERBY success shortened the damp and dreary winter as we moved from 2025 into 2026 for the team behind Glacius, the son of Too Darn Hot regarded then by Vefa Ibrahim Araci’s bloodstock operation as a legitimate Epsom Derby contender. In the end it was not to be – Glacius did not make his seasonal reappearance until a fortnight after Christmas Day’s Derby victory at Epsom. But the team’s dreams have come true as the colt is now a Derby winner, although his Derby success came a world away from the Epsom mud and was achieved in the US at Saratoga. It may not have been the Derby victory originally imagined, but Glacius has emerged as a vital horse for his owner-breeder Vefa Ibrahim Araci’s bloodstock operation, which spans the European continent. “To breed and race a Grade 1 winner is a dream for so many people and for him to do that was wonderful,” comments Rob Speers, racing and bloodstock manager to Araci, a Turkish businessman who owns Old Mill Stud outside Newmarket where Glacius was foaled. “It’s given everyone who works here on the farm a boost – from the guys who pulled him from his mum, and to those who reared him. We didn’t go to a yearling sale with him, the plan being to retain him. “We all know the amount of hard work, dedication and eﬀort required from stud staﬀ and racing staff. We’re a small team here; there is lots of sitting up and foaling mares and it’s given everyone a good boost to know that we have produced a really good horse from here. We’ve raised him here on our land and he’s gone on to achieve what he has.” It’s a feeling not many people get to experience, but Speers himself is one of the fortunate few to have achieved that aim himself at the highest level –

the Norwich City supporter bred 2011 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Wrote (High Chaparral) and that experience aﬀords him insight into the nature of homebred success at the highest level. “I think that probably will always remain my best day in racing,” recalls Speers. “I think buying them is one thing, but if you’re able to breed a really good one and have a really big day out, like we did in Saratoga, that feeling is very hard to replicate in any other way. “We get a lot of joy from Libertango [more on her later] as well, but a homebred like that, well it is wonderful.” Araci’s English base is the boutique element of his breeding and racing interests. There are just nine mares in residence at Old Mill Stud, including Predawn, the dam of Glacius, who is the second stakes performer that the full-

sister to Oaks winner Qualify has foaled. The first is Al Jafara, a first-crop daughter of Pinatubo, who has been Listed-placed in the US for Chad Brown. Now 11, Predawn has been joined at Old Mill by her winning Kingman daughter Rose Branch, who produced her first foal this year, a colt by Auguste Rodin. After foaling Glacius, Predawn, who is by Fastnet Rock, produced three fillies in succession with her two-year-old named Flutterly (Oasis Dream) now in training. Her foal this year is a full-sister to Al Jafara. Speers is particularly enthused by Predawn’s yearling daughter. “We have a yearling filly who I adore by Sea The Moon, she looks like a nice type and is a bit like Glacius, she’s a lovely-looking filly,” he reiterates. None of the fillies will be going anywhere, except perhaps Turkey. “I would say all of Predawn’s fillies

Glacius led in as a Grade 1 winner by owner-breeder Vefa Ibrahim Araci (right)

Photo: Chris Rahayel

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stallion scene

will have a home for life now breeding either here at Old Mill or, if not in Turkey. Mr Araci’s farms in Turkey are of the highest calibre and the horses are looked after to the levels you’d expect to see in Europe.” Since purchasing Old Mill, near Chippenham in Suffolk, at the end of the last decade, Araci has invested heavily in redeveloping the property, overseen by Speers. Selling some of the youngstock, such as Al Jafara, as yearlings has helped offset some of that financial cost. Now that the commercial imperative no longer needs to be such a major consideration, the focus is now on retaining the stock to race, supplemented by the odd foray into the market, as Speers explains. “We have a select broodmare band here, not a lot of mares and they are very well bred,” reports Speers. “But trying to breed really good horses from a small number is always very difficult. “We are now in a position that not only can we breed away but we can also invest in yearlings and some foals as a ‘top up’ and to ensure that Mr Araci has enough horses in training and enough good horses to be competitive. “We’re sending a much bigger team into training now and a much better quality one.”

Libertango: success at York in the Lowther Stakes (G2) for the daughter of No Nay Never, who is one of the leading sprint fillies in a very strong year

He explains the buying policy: “When we dip into the market we’re looking for colts who have stallion potential, or we’re looking to buy ﬁllies who have enough of a page that they’d be able to hold their own in a small select band.” Araci’s homeland of Turkey is where his larger and more commercial enterprise is located, but there is much synchronicity between the pillars of the operation, particularly on the breeding side. “The operation in Turkey is considerably bigger than the UK. Mr Araci has a big stud farm and he has a big pre-training farm as well, and plenty of other facilities. “Mr Araci loves his racing in the UK and he loves coming here. But the main base and the biggest number of

Araci is now buying the odd yearling or foal to add to his homebred team

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horses he has is in Turkey. “The prize-money in Turkey remains very good, it’s where he lives and although he doesn’t go racing that often, he has had immense joy from the successful horses that he has had in Turkey over the years, and hopefully more to come in the future.” Speers explains how both countries ﬁt into the larger scheme. “There’s actually quite a bit of interaction between Turkey and the UK. We’ve had mares here who have bred winners - 80 and 90-rated horses but haven’t quite got over the line with a stakes horse and they start to look a little bit exposed in Britain, so, rather than sell, we have sent them to Turkey. “We’re constantly assessing the stock here in the UK and working out at what point do we think about moving a mare to Turkey. Do we think that she might suit Turkey? Or, if we are retiring a ﬁlly here, do we need to make room?” He adds: “Mr Araci has had plenty of winners and plenty of success in Turkey from mares that have been here with us

Libertango: the filly gave the team a wonderful day in the sun at Royal Ascot

in the UK and are now out in Turkey.” To that end a handful of suitable in-foal mares were purchased at Deauville last winter with a view to enhancing Araci’s broodmare band in Turkey. The mares foaled at Old Mill Stud, were covered by European stallions and, along with their foals, will ship to Turkey this autumn. It’s a journey that Glacius, who has emerged with impeccable timing, could embark upon himself as a replacement to Araci’s Turkish-based stallion Native Khan. The son of Azamour was a 180,000gns purchase at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale and carried Araci’s distinctive silks with honour to Group 3 Craven and Solario Stakes success. He also finished third to Frankel in the 2,000 Guineas and ﬁfth in the Derby Araci retired him to stud in Turkey, where he is publicly available and he has developed into an important stallion, and is the fulcrum of the Araci enterprise in Turkey. However, as Speers points out, “He

was third to Frankel in the Guineas so he is the same age as Frankel. They will be 19 next year and as Native Khan starts to get older we have already started to think about who might be his replacement in Turkey. “We will have to see how Glacius continues through the rest of his career as to whether he will stand somewhere in Europe, in the UK, or whether he

does go to Turkey. “It’s really great to have a homebred horse, a beautiful horse, by Too Darn Hot out of an own-sister to an Oaks winner, with a stunning pedigree, who’s a Grade 1 winner at stud. “He’s going to cover mares in the future, and whether that is here or in Turkey, time will tell, but it’s really good to have him lined up as a possible replacement for Native Khan.” A winner on debut over a mile at Newmarket last year, Speers admits that disappointment trailed in the wake of the colt’s second start in which he ﬁnished fourth in Haydock’s Listed Ascendant Stakes. But time has tempered that disappointment somewhat as that the winner was none other than Bow Echo, while the third-placed Shayem has gone on to win at Group 3 and Listed level and finish second in the German 2,000 Guineas to Title Role, another son of Too Darn Hot and a subsequent winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. Glacius had one more start at two when beaten less than 2l into third in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket. “Hugo [Palmer, trainer] would be the ﬁrst to say that Glacius was the horse who got him out of bed during the winter every morning, dreaming that

Rob Speers: Araci’s long-term manager is delighted with current buying and breeding strategy

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stallion scene

he was going to be our Derby horse. We always held him in the highest regard,” Speers reveals. Those Derby dreams were dashed as the colt was slow to come to hand in the spring. But Palmer and the team remained patient with the horse, waiting until he was ready to run and the colt made his seasonal reappearance when third in the 1m2f Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot. He strengthened up with another third place ﬁnish in the 1m2f Listed Gala Stakes at Sandown before his trip to Saratoga and Grade 1 breakthrough in the 1m1f Saratoga Derby. As Speers recounts, Glacius’s placed performance at Royal Ascot set in motion a wonderful couple of days for the team, with Libertango winning the Group 3 Albany Stakes. Trained by George Boughey, the ﬁlly became the

first Royal winner for Araci. “We’re very lucky,” smiles Speers. “Good horses are hard to come by and at the moment we have two very good horses on the go. Libertango was a little bit unfortunate that things didn’t go her way when she was touched off in the Duchess of Cambridge after Royal Ascot. “But she showed her class to battle through on ground she hated to win the Lowther. She’s won her maiden, won the Albany, won the Lowther and it’s all systems go now to hopefully make her a Group 1 winner.” That mission may be trickier than in other years with a trio of scintillating juvenile sprinters bursting onto the scene this summer Speers admits: “I think it’s probably an exceptional year for the sprint juvenile fillies – Sun Goddess, Libertango and Senorita Bonita are three

Glacius: the son of Too Darn Hot made all at Saratoga to claim his Grade 1 victory

exceptionally good ﬁllies and I think they are better than the colts. “Sun Goddess won the Phoenix and the Moyglare and Señorita Bonita won the Morny so I think that tells us everything we need to know.” Libertango was bought for 400,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, the same auction source as Native Khan, and this year’s success has perfectly illustrated the two-pronged approach the team is taking to breeding and racing. “What Mr Araci and I are delighted about this year is that Glacius is a homebred and Libertango is a ﬁlly that we bought at the breeze-up sale, it shows that our strategy is working. “We know, and everyone knows, that if you stand still in our industry for too long, you start going backwards.” And if the successful buying strategy Photo: Amira Chichakly

continues, it could be that Native Khan will not be the only stallion sourced for the operation at the sales. When the catalogue for this year’s Arqana August Yearling Sale was released, one colt in particular leaped from the page – Camas Park Stud’s No Nay Never colt out of Ein Gedi, a full-brother to Libertango (Lot 315). Once the horse’s physical was seen to measure up to the pedigree, there was only ever going to be one outcome to the bidding. “Obviously Libertango’s brother was always going to stand out to us,” he smiles. “I believe the mare is now in Japan so it’s unlikely that there’ll be any more oﬀspring from her available at public auction in Europe again. “The colt is very like her in size and shape. I think we paid a premium for him, but we paid a premium for him

The team’s Arqana purchase: this filly by Too Darn Hot is from the family of Treasure Beach (Lot 32)

We know, and everyone knows, that if you stand still in our industry for too long, you start going backwards because of what Libertango has done. If he’s as talented as she is and he wins the Coventry, it’ll be money well spent! “We will know more in 12 months’ time but he’s a lovely horse and it’s great to have him.” The €620,000 acquisition was joined by a €250,000 ﬁlly and the identity of her sire is unsurprising. “She is a very sweet Too Darn Hot ﬁlly, who I kind of fell for instantly when I saw her. “She’s a sister to two Group horses, and we couldn’t overlook her and obviously another as a potential broodmare for the operation. I really like her pedigree. I think she’s a two-year-old type, but with a little bit of scope. She will hopefully be one for the paddocks in the future as well,” reports Speers The new acquisition is a half-sister to

the Group 3-winning ﬁllies Andromeda (Sea The Stars) and La Isla Mujeres (Lope De Vega). Consigned by La Motteraye, she is out of Honor Bound, who won the Listed Lingﬁeld Oaks Trial and is an Authorised half-sister to the Irish Derby and Secretariat Stakes winner Treasure Beach by Galileo (Lot 32). The team began the year dreaming of Derby glory, and now as this summer starts to fade a stallion prospect has emerged and a broodmare who would belong in any world-leading farm’s studbook. “We’re so pleased with this year,” concludes a delighted Speers. “They’re two exceptional horses and they’ve given Mr Araci and his family a lot of joy.” Reality sometimes does mean that dreams come true. ■

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ANAPURNA • TWIST ‘N’ SHAKE • TELECASTER • DASHING WILLOUGHBY • CAROLINAE • ALESSANDRO VOLTA • OPERA HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL • YANKEE DOODLE • LADY CARLA • IZZI TOP • SUEZ • SUN BOAT • FRANCE • ALKAADHEM • KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT • CHESA PLANA • RAPPA TAP TAP • PICK OF THE POPS • SAN SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL • MULLINS BAY • HAVANE SMOKER • CASPAR NETSCHER • DASH TO THE TOP • TORCH ROUGE • BELLA COLORA • CROESO CARIAD • SHIROCCO STAR • COQUET • HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE • MEDIA HYPE • MARSH DAISY • JAZZI TOP • SPEEDY BOARDING • DEUCE AGAIN • CAROLINAE • BALLET CONCERTO • STARCASTER • AL SUHAIL • VALUE PROPOSITION • HOO YA MAL • CHECKANDCHALLENGE • ZAGATO • EMERAATY • MISTRAL STAR • SPY CHIEF • CLUB CLASS • OPPORTUNITY • PRIZELAND • SACRED GROUND • ANAPURNA • TWIST ‘N’ SHAKE • TELECASTER • DASHING WILLOUGHBY • CAROLINAE • ALESSANDRO VOLTA • OPERA HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL • YANKEE DOODLE • LADY CARLA • IZZI TOP • SUEZ • SUN BOAT • FRANCE • ALKAADHEM • KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT • CHESA PLANA • RAPPA TAP TAP • PICK OF THE POPS • SAN SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL • MULLINS BAY • HAVANE SMOKER • CASPAR NETSCHER • DASH TO THE TOP • TORCH ROUGE • BELLA COLORA • CROESO CARIAD • BOOK ONE SHIROCCO STAR • COQUET • HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE • MEDIA HYPE • MARSH DAISY • JAZZI TOP • SPEEDY BOARDING • DEUCE AGAIN • CAROLINAE • BALLET CONCERTO • STARCASTER • AL SUHAIL • VALUE PROPOSITION • HOO YA MAL • CHECKANDCHALLENGE • ZAGATO • EMERAATY • MISTRAL STAR • SPY CHIEF Lot 2 B.C. Too Darn Hot x Farzeen – Zee Zee Gee) • DASHING WILLOUGHBY • CAROLINAE • • CLUB CLASS • OPPORTUNITY • PRIZELAND • SACRED GROUND • ANAPURNA • TWIST (Farhh ‘N’ SHAKE • TELECASTER ALESSANDRO VOLTA • OPERA HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • Grey• IZZI x Pushy (Dubawi – BOAT Dash •toFRANCE the Front) Lot 190 B.C. Havana SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL • YANKEE DOODLE • LADY CARLA TOP • SUEZ • SUN • ALKAADHEM • KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • Lope •de Vega x TAP Sensationally – One so Wonderful) Lot •234 B.F. PLANA CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT CHESA RAPPA TAP • PICK OF THE(Montjeu POPS • SAN SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL • MULLINS BAY • HAVANE SMOKER • CASPAR NETSCHER • DASH TO THE TOP • TORCH ROUGE • BELLA COLORA • CROESO CARIAD • SHIROCCO STAR • COQUET • HIPPY HIPPY Dubawi x Anapurna (Frankel – Dash to•the Top) CONCERTO • STARCASTER • AL SUHAIL • Lot 357 SHAKE • MEDIA HYPE • MARSH DAISY • JAZZI TOPB.C. • SPEEDY BOARDING • DEUCE AGAIN • CAROLINAE BALLET VALUE PROPOSITION • HOO YA MAL • CHECKANDCHALLENGE • ZAGATO • EMERAATY • MISTRAL STAR • SPY CHIEF • CLUB CLASS • OPPORTUNITY • de‘N’Vega x •Cosmic Princess (Kingman – Galaxy Highflyer) • ALESSANDRO VOLTA • OPERA 429 B.F. Lope PRIZELAND • SACRED GROUND Lot • ANAPURNA • TWIST SHAKE TELECASTER • DASHING WILLOUGHBY • CAROLINAE HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL • YANKEE DOODLE • LADY CARLA • IZZI TOP • SUEZ • SUN BOAT • FRANCE • ALKAADHEM • KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BOOK TWO BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT • CHESA PLANA • RAPPA TAP TAP • Lot PICK573 OF B.F. THE Modern POPS • SANGames SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL Dancer • MULLINS BAYZee • HAVANE x Jazzi Top (Danehill – Zee Top) SMOKER • CASPAR NETSCHER • DASH TO THE TOP • TORCH ROUGE • BELLA COLORA • CROESO CARIAD • SHIROCCO STAR • COQUET • HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE • MEDIA HYPE • MARSH DAISY • JAZZI TOP • SPEEDY BOARDING • DEUCE AGAIN CAROLINAE • BALLET CONCERTO • STARCASTER • AL SUHAIL • VALUE PROPOSITION • HOO YA MAL • x Last Tango InParis (Aqlaam – Strictly Lambada) Lot 618 B.F. •Teofilo CHECKANDCHALLENGE • ZAGATO • EMERAATY • MISTRAL STAR • SPY CHIEF • CLUB CLASS • OPPORTUNITY • PRIZELAND • SACRED GROUND • ANAPURNA • TWIST ‘N’ SHAKE • TELECASTER • DASHING • CAROLINAE • ALESSANDRO VOLTA •–OPERA HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • Man x Delta Bay (Nathaniel Tropicana Bay) Lot 1227WILLOUGHBY B.C. Study of POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL • YANKEE DOODLE • LADY CARLA • IZZI TOP • SUEZ • SUN BOAT • FRANCE • ALKAADHEM • KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • BOOK THREE UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT • CHESA PLANA • RAPPA TAP TAP • PICK OF THE POPS • SAN SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL • MULLINS BAY • HAVANE SMOKER • CASPAR NETSCHER • DASH TO THE TOP • TORCH ROUGE • BELLA 1395 B.F. Mostahdaf Perfectly Spirited (Invincible Spirit –DAISY Design• JAZZI Perfection) COLORA • CROESO CARIAD •Lot SHIROCCO STAR • COQUET •xHIPPY HIPPY SHAKE • MEDIA HYPE • MARSH TOP • SPEEDY BOARDING • DEUCE AGAIN • CAROLINAE • BALLET CONCERTOLot • STARCASTER • AL SUHAIL • VALUE PROPOSITION • HOO YA MAL • CHECKANDCHALLENGE • ZAGATO • EMERAATY 1531 B.F. Harry Angel x Bizzi Lizzi (Muhaarar – Izzi Top) • MISTRAL STAR • SPY CHIEF • CLUB CLASS • OPPORTUNITY • PRIZELAND • SACRED GROUND • ANAPURNA • TWIST ‘N’ SHAKE • TELECASTER • DASHING WILLOUGHBY • CAROLINAE • ALESSANDRO VOLTA • OPERA HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL DOODLE • LADY CARLA • IZZIScheme TOP • SUEZ • SUN BOAT • FRANCE • ALKAADHEM • Fillies eligible for• YANKEE GREAT BRITISH BONUS KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT • CHESA PLANA • RAPPA TAP TAP • PICK OF THE POPS • SAN SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL • MULLINS BAY • HAVANE SMOKER • CASPAR NETSCHER • DASH TO THE TOP • TORCH ROUGE • BELLA COLORA • CROESO CARIAD • SHIROCCO STAR • COQUET • HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE • MEDIA HYPE • MARSH DAISY • JAZZI TOP • SPEEDY BOARDING • DEUCE AGAIN • CAROLINAE • BALLET CONCERTO • STARCASTER • AL SUHAIL • VALUE PROPOSITION • HOO YA MAL • CHECKANDCHALLENGE • ZAGATO • EMERAATY • MISTRAL STAR • SPY CHIEF • CLUB CLASS • OPPORTUNITY • PRIZELAND • SACRED GROUND • ANAPURNA • TWIST ‘N’ SHAKE • TELECASTER • DASHING WILLOUGHBY • CAROLINAE • ALESSANDRO VOLTA • OPERA HOUSE • ZEE ZEE TOP • DASH TO THE FRONT • POET • ONE SO WONDERFUL • COLORSPIN • MILLIGRAM • NOUSHKEY • SOMEONE SPECIAL • YOUR OLD PAL • YANKEE DOODLE • LADY CARLA • IZZI TOP • SUEZ • SUN BOAT • FRANCE • ALKAADHEM • KAYF TARA • MONA LISA • BALLET CONCERTO • PHOTOGENIC • BALALAIKA • JUST SPECIAL • NECKLACE • UNSCRUPULOUS • MUDEER • HYABELLA • KISSOGRAM • MOVIEGOER • CEZANNE • DYNASTY • STAGECRAFT • CHESA PLANA • RAPPA TAP TAP • PICK OF THE POPS • SAN SEBASTIAN • RELATIVELY SPECIAL • MULLINS BAY •

Tattersalls October Yearling Sales 2026

1983 – 2026 MEON VALLEY STUD have bred the winners of 1,330 races, £26,469,850 (approx) (including 75 stakes winners of 152 stakes races)

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A Group 3 double and four winners on the first weekend in September for New Bay

EPTEMBER 5 saw New Bay score a smart across-thecard four-timer, the quartet of wins headed up a Group 3 double and revealing something of the versatility of the sire’s progeny with wins coming on a range of surfaces. The first of those stakes race victories came at Haydock, the five-year-old Persica, out of the Lope De Vega mare Rubira, scoring for Richard Hannon and owners Martin Hughes and Michael Kerr-Dineen in the Superior Mile. It was a third Group 3 victory for the BHA 114-rated gelding, whose victories have come on ground conditions ranging from good to firm to Haydock’s heavy. Half an hour later at Ascot, Turty Tree, who was bred by China Horse Club International, took the Class 2 1m4f heritage handicap on the good to firm for the in-form Andrew Balding and owner Ecurie Ama Zing Team. Like Persica, Turty Tree, who is out of the Camelot mare Mystical Beauty, was sold as a yearling by Baroda Stud. He was bought by BBA Ireland at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale for 120,000gns. Persica was a Goffs UK Premier Sale yearling, where he was purchased by Peter and Ross Doyle for £200,000. Forty minutes later Pride Of Arras confounded the Constitution Hill headline writers when galloping to a smart victory in the September Stakes (G3) on the All-Weather at Kempton. The Ralph Beckett-trained gelding,

New Bay

winner of the 2025 Group 2 Dante Stakes and the Great Voltigeur Stakes, both races run at York, got a deserved head in front for his owner-breeder Mrs David Aykroyd after a previous second-place in the York Stakes (G2) over 1m2f back at York in August. Pride Of Arras, bred by the Aykroyds out of the Oasis Dream mare Parnell’s Dream, is making a pleasing return

to form after a training setback in the spring. He could be heading on his travels next, Beckett mooting the Canadian International (G1) as a possibility. The five-year-old Primo Lara, who is out of Fact Or Folklore, like Persica’s dam by Lope De Vega, rounded off the New Bay quartet of winners with victory in a Class 3 1m4f handicap at Kempton

www.internationalthoroughbred.net 59

stallion scene

Pride Of Arras: the son of New Bay winning a hot renewal of the September Stakes at Kempton

for trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam. The gelding justified favouritism and was successful off an official mark of 86. That was then a career high and it has since increased to 90. A Ballylinch Stud homebred, the gelding was an expensive yearling when sold for 425,000gns at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale in 2022 to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. After starting his career with Chapple-Hyam, he was sold and transferred to Jack Morland, but returned to Chapple-Hyam’s care when bought by the trainer at this year’s Tattersalls July Sale for 22,000gns. The average winning distance for New Bay’s progeny is 9.09f and the Global

Japan: coming up with the goods

OPES have always been high for the Gestüt Etzean stallion Japan, one of the best colts to retire to the country in recent years (at least before this year’s first-season sire Torquato Tasso), and charged with bringing the German stallion scene back to the top of the European industry. And Japan is beginning to live up to all that is expected. With his second crop running for him, the son of Galileo has had 19 lifetime winners from 56 starters, a 36 per cent strike-rate. He has yet to have success in a stakes race, but that should only be a formality as he has had four black-type placed runners, the best of whom is the Group 2-placed colt Peace Of Japan, who finished third in the Bavarian Classic in May. Japan: has made a good start at stud

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Stallions App records his leading earner in 2026 as Bay City Roller, who has picked up £701,689 this season with his win at Epsom in the Coronation Cup (G1) and a strong second place in the Prix Foy (G2). He is likely to be seen next time out in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) New Bay stands at €75,000 and has 15 lots catalogued in Goffs Orby Part 1 and one in the Part 2 section. At Newmarket, the sire has 16 due to sell in the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale, 27 in Book 2 and three in Book 3. A Shaquille half-brother to Persica is to be sold in Book 2, offered by Lynn Lodge (Lot 878), while Baroda Stud is set to offer a full-sister to Turty Tree in Book 3 (Lot 1374). ■

New Bay

Statistical Sire Summary (Global Stallions App) Crops

Foals

924

Crops of racing age

Foals of racing age

713

Current two-year-old foals

138

Yearlings

104

Foals

107

Champions

Group black-type winners

Black-type winners

Black-type placers

New Bay at Ballylinch Stud

Japan has had three two-year-old winners so far in 2026, his most exciting juvenile of this year being the Ralph Beckett-trained colt Rock In Japan

Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott: he and trainer Ralph Beckett bought Rock In Japan, a son of Japan, at the BBAG September Sale in 2025

His highest earner is his Meydan winner Taifuu, a filly who started her career at Bro Park in Sweden and was Listed placed in Norway. Japan has had three two-year-old winners so far in 2026, and his most exciting juvenile of this year so far being the Ralph Beckett-trained colt Rock In Japan, winner of a Salisbury mile

novice on debut for his ownership group The Lucra V Partnership. He and the runner-up Night Star (Space Traveller) went clear of the field and both horses look useful types. Richard Hannon, trainer of the runner-up, must have been sorely disappointed to have been beaten – the filly having run three times previously to finish third twice and had looked set for the win at Salisbury. Rock In Japan was bought from Etzean by Beckett at the BBAG September Sale in 2025 for €36,000 with agent Alex Elliott, the bay colt bred by the farm’s owner Ralf Kredel. Edward Greatrex was on board and he said post-race to Racing TV: “He is straightforward, a professional type and loved the ground. He’s a horse that’s only going to improve so to do that on his first start is decent. He’s always going to be a horse for next year.” The youngster is the second foal out of

the Jukebox Jury mare Rock My Life, who won over 1m2f. She is a half-sister to Rock My Love, winner of the Group 3 Preis der Winterkönigin and runner-up in the Prix de la Nonette (G2), Run Wild (Amaron), a Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner for John Gosden, the Oppenheim-Union-Rennen (G2) runner-up Rapido (Rock Of Gibraltar), the German Listed winner and Group 1 Preis der Diana fourth-placed Rock My Heart (Sholokhov), and the mile Group 3 juvenile runner-up Rondina (Intello). Another half-sibling, the Listed winner and Group 3-placed Rock My Soul, is dam of the Chester Vase (G3) winner Young Rascal and the Australian Group 3 winner Timour. Rock In Japan’s full-brother made €40,000 at this year’s BBAG September Sale (Lot 45) bought by Meridian International. ■

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stallion scene

Building with Sands TRAINER HARRY EUSTACE is unashamedly one of the biggest supporters of the Yeomanstown-based sire Sands Of Mali as he is trainer of the stallion’s best runner, the 2025 Group 1 Commonwealth Cup heroine, Time For Sandals. So, accordingly at the Tattersalls Somerville Sale, the trainer spent 92,000gns on the Sands Of Mali second foal out of Setantii Girl, who was sold by Culworth Grounds Farm. The mare has already hit with the stallion as her first foal Lion Of Mali, a three-year-old of this year, is the winner of five races, has finished second four times, is rated 80 and is trained by James Fanshawe. “I have looked at plenty by him and he’s the first one that has really fitted the bill for me,” reported Eustace. “I was pretty deep into where we thought we’d have to go but I’d rather buy the one that

I remember from the whole sale than anything else.” Eustace needs to find an owner for the new acquisition, but post-sale he was confident that he should soon have a transaction in place. “I hope he will be popular. If I can’t find an owner for a Sands Of Mali then I am doing something wrong!” he joked. Sands Of Mali retired to Ballyhane Stud in 2021 at a fee of €6,500, which was reduced the following year to €5,000, a price maintained until 2024. In 2025 his fee was listed as private. Last autumn, the stallion was bought by Yeomanstown Stud, sold via Tattersalls Ireland on a sealed bids basis after a legal dispute between former owner Steve Parkin of Clipper Logistics and Joe Foley of Ballyhane. The stallion’s first published fee at Yeomanstown Stud this spring was €22,500.

Sands Of Mali has had 57 winners from 104 starters, a 54 per cent strikerate (Global Stallions App). He has had six black-type winners, three of whom have won at Group class, including the Group 1 success with Time For Sandals. Ten yearlings are due through the ring at the Tattersalls October Sale and 16 across the two divisions of the Goffs Orby Sale. ■ Time For Sandals

Short price converted by Weatherbys Super Sprint fourth ETIENNE, trained by Richard Spencer, was sent off the 1/25f, one of the shortest-priced Flat runners this year, for the 6f EBF Maiden at Bath on September 2 – and the son of Rajasinghe duly added a deserved win to his record with a comfortable 4l success. It was a first racecourse outing for the colt since his Weatherbys Super Sprint fourth in July when behind his winning paternal sibling and stablemate Zigazig Ah. The Bath result was a relief for his trainer, who watched from the Tattersalls Somerville Sale and reported that the short price had sent his pre-race nerves into orbit. And the race start would have done nothing to help calm Spencer as the colt

was slow away, however, once finding his feet, Etienne soon started to assert and his inherent class shone through — as the Racing Post analysis reported the colt did not need to be at his best to win. Owned and bred by Rajasinghe’s biggest fans the Cunningham family, who own the stallion and stands him at The National Stud in Newmarket, the colt holds an entry in the Weatherbys £300,000 2-Y-O Stakes, the Tattersalls October Auction Stakes and the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy. He also has a Group race entry in the the Middle Park Stakes (G1). He is out of the Gutaifan mare Odyssey Girl and went through the ring in the Tattersalls October Book 3 Sale when bought back by Highflyer. ■

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Zigazig Ah, paternal sibling to Etienne, after winning the Weatherbys Super Sprint Photo: Dan Abraham / focusonracing.com

2026

A PROVEN RECORD OF GROUP 1 PERFORMERS

CONSTITUTION RIVER G1 Prix du Jockey Club G1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes

THE LAST DANCE G1 2nd Poule d’Essai des Pouliches

2025 LEFFARD G1 Grand Prix de Paris

2022 LA PARISIENNE G1 2nd Prix de Diane G1 3rd Prix Vermeille

PUCHKINE G1 Prix Jean Prat

DAYLIGHT G1 2nd Cheveley Park Stakes

Consistent excellence at the highest level As well as numerous high-class 2- and 3-year-olds each year!

DON’T MISS OUR 36 YEARLINGS AT THE ARQANA OCTOBER YEARLING SALE Emmanuel Talvard +33 (0)6 87 20 33 07 - Pierre Talvard +33 (0)6 80 88 20 04 harasducadran61160@gmail.com - www.harasducadran.com

2024

XTRA

XTRA stallion scene

Sioux Nation: statistics from first five crops (* All aged)

Statistics by JdeM

Crop

Fee

Foals

Rnrs*

Wnrs*

W/R %*

2yo W

2yo SW

All SW*

% to Rnrs*

2024

17,500

177

2023

10,000

137

110

2022

10,000

2021

12,500

2020

12,500

148

135

587

436

243

138

5 crops combined

EPTEMBER proved a remarkable month for Coolmore’s stallion Sioux Nation with his juveniles. In the space of only two weeks the son of Scat Daddy was represented by the Group 1-winning Sun Goddess, a brilliant winner of the 7f Moyglare Stud Stakes, the Group 2 winners Final Objective, who took the 5f Flying Childers Stakes, and the filly Rogue Passion, winner of the Group 2 Prix d’Aumale over a mile. Another filly, Drazinda was winner of the Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg over 5f. In addition, the colt Shadow Nation and the fillies Vollering and Timeless Tale were placed in Group and Listed races. Furthermore, the promising juvenile winners by the sire in the same two-week period included Speed Of Sound, winner of a nursery at Doncaster, Alpine Wedding, clear winner of a maiden in Cork, Spirit Tango

Harvest time

for Sioux Nation

by Jocelyn de Moubray Sioux Nation Photo: Coolmore

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XTRA

stallion scene

and the exciting Lex Victoria, both now dual winners Fine Line also succeeded in finishing second in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales race, despite starting at 200-1. Sioux Nation is, in many ways, the perfect commercial sire for the modern era. His progeny have always sold well, particularly at two-year-old in training sales where he has had a seven-figure sale in each of the last two years, and he has always produced a high proportion of both two-yearold runners and winners. This year’s juveniles come from his fifth crop, conceived in 2023 when his fee had risen to a new high of €17,500 the stallion having started out in 2019 at €12,500. He has also produced three- and four-year-old Group race winners. The best horses from his first crop, the gelding Brave Emperor and the filly Matilda Picotte, both won Group races as three-year-olds; Brave Emperor at four too, while Shes Perfect and City Of Memphis, both fillies from his 2022 crop, have both been second in Group 1 races – City Of Memphis in the Matron Stakes this September and Shes Perfect in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches last year. However, it is as a sire of two-year-olds that Sioux Nation has achieved his highest ranking. At the time of writing, he is Europe’s leading two-year-old sire in Europe

Sioux Nation is, in many ways, the perfect commercial sire for the modern era

Sioux Nation: has had a seven-figure sale at the breeze-up sales in both 2025 and 2026, including this year’s dual winner Lex Victoria Photo: Coolmore

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by earnings, by number of wins with 46 and is second by winners with 31. He also heads the list by the number of Group winners with four. Second to him on the table at present is No Nay Never, another son of Scat Daddy standing at Coolmore. This season, Sioux Nation has the one Group 1 winner, and two Group 1 performers – in addition to City Of Memphis, his filly Velozee was third behind Sun Goddess in the Phoenix Stakes (G1) in August. Looking at the statistics for his career to date as a sire of juveniles, Sioux Nation has not so much stepped up this year as confirmed the considerable promise he had shown with his first three crops and, which is in itself a rare achievement. Further, he has maintained similar success ratios despite having a much larger crop of two-year-olds to run for him in 2026. His small third crop was particularly impressive as 62 per cent of those who ran as juveniles runners won, including the Group winner Coto De Caza and the future Group 1 performer Shes Perfect. Overall, from the first three crops combined, 45 per cent of Sioux Nation’s two-year-old runners were winners, 12 per cent were stakes performers and five per cent were

festival data analysis

stakes winners. These figures are very similar figures to those achieved this year from his runners to date, with no doubt more runners, winners and Group performers to come before the end of the year. Since this year’s two-yearolds were conceived Sioux Nation’s fee has risen every year – first to €27,500, then €30,000 and on to €37,000, and it will inevitably be higher still in 2027. A Group 1 winner at three or older is more or less sure to come sooner rather than later for him, but for the time being Sioux Nation is, above all, a source of precious speed. His two-year-olds’ average winning distance is just over 6f, while his threeyear-old average winning distance is only 7.4f. His progeny act on all types of ground and the All-Weather.

Pinatubo and Persian King become Group 1 sires If Sioux Nation has succeeded in joining Havana Grey at the top of the rankings for sires who retired to stud in 2019, the last few weeks have been significant for two of those who retired to stud in 2021 and whose second crop are three-year-olds of 2026. Darley’s Pinatubo and the Haras d’Etreham’s Persian King both had their first Group 1 winner – Pinatubo’s four-year-old colt Saddadd took the Grosser Preis von Baden, while Persian King’s Highwayman won the

Pinatubo (left) is sire of the Group 1 winner Saddadd, and Persian King (right) of Highwayman Photo: Darley and Haras d’Etreham

Among all sires who retired to stud in 2021 only three have produced a Group 1 winner so far St Leger at Doncaster. Both sires had been enjoying successful years beforehand, but a Group 1 winner is an important marker. Pinatubo’s three-yearolds include four black-type winners headed by Komorebi, who has disappointed recently but he did come close to beating Rayif in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains. Aside from his Classic winner, Persian King has the dual Group-winning colt Pearled Majesty as a possible contender for the

Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot in October. As a four-year-old Persian King defeated the year younger Pinatubo in the mile Group 1 Prix du Moulin after getting first run on his rival, and the pair came right away from the others. Both are, despite the speed and precocity they showed themselves, producing high-class horses capable of staying further than a mile, even if Pinatubo’s three-year-olds average winning distance is shorter, while Persian King’s is 9f.

Both are out of dams by Arc de Triomphe winners – Pinatubo is out of a daughter of Dalakhani, while Persian King’s dam is by Dylan Thomas. Among all sires who retired to stud in 2021 only three have produced a Group 1 winner so far, the duo here alongside Darley’s Ghaiyyaith. Haras de la Gastine’s Chachnak has had two Group 1 performers in Pink Panthera and Stolen Kiss from many fewer foals of racing age. ■

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stallion statistics Leading European Sires 2026 (by prize-money earned to September 14, 2026)

Courtesy of Weatherbys

Stallion

Pedigree

YoB

Rnrs

Runs

Wnrs

Wins

Wnrs/Rnrs

SWnrs

SWs

€

Night of Thunder Frankel Wootton Bassett Sea The Stars Starspangledbanner Lope de Vega Dark Angel New Bay Blue Point Dubawi No Nay Never Mehmas Camelot Kingman Havana Grey Study of Man Sioux Nation St Mark’s Basilica Too Darn Hot Zarak Ghaiyyath Saxon Warrior Zelzal Sea The Moon Persian King Starman Siyouni Cotai Glory Showcasing Pinatubo Gleneagles Bated Breath Goken Churchill Kodiac Time Test Kodi Bear Justify Australia Space Blues City Light Toronado Harry Angel Lucky Vega Make Believe

Dubawi-Forest Storm (Galileo) Galileo-Kind (Danehill) Iffraaj-Balladonia (Primo Dominie) Cape Cross-Urban Sea (Miswaki) Choisir-Gold Anthem (Made of Gold) Shamardal-Lady Vettori (Vettori ) Acclamation-Midnight Angel (Machiavellian) Dubawi-Cinnamon Bay (Zamindar) Shamardal-Scarlett Rose (Royal Applause) Dubai Millennium-Zomaradah (Deploy) Scat Daddy-Cat’s Eye Witness (Elusive Quality) Acclamation-Lucina (Machiavellian) Montjeu-Tarfah (Kingmambo) Invincible Spirit-Zenda (Zamindar) Havana Gold-Blanc de Chine (Dark Angel) Deep Impact-Second Happiness (Storm Cat) Scat Daddy-Dream The Blues (Oasis Dream) Siyouni-Cabaret (Galileo) Dubawi-Dar Re Mi (Singspiel) Dubawi-Zarkava (Zamindar) Dubawi-Nightime (Galileo) Deep Impact-Maybe (Galileo) Sea The Stars-Olga Prekrasa (Kingmambo) Sea The Stars-Sanwa (Monsun) Kingman-Pretty Please (Dylan Thomas) Dutch Art-Northern Star (Montjeu Pivotal-Sichilla (Danehill Exceed And Excel-Continua (Elusive Quality Oasis Dream-Arabesque (Zafonic) Shamardal-Lava Flow (Dalakhani) Galileo-You’resothrilling (Storm Cat) Dansili-Tantina (Distant View) Kendargent-Gooseley Chope (Indian Rocket) Galileo-Meow (Storm Cat) Danehill-Rafha (Kris) Dubawi-Passage of Time (Dansili) Kodiac-Hawattef (Mujtahid) Scat Daddy-Stage Magic (Ghostzapper) Galileo-Ouija Board (Cape Cross) Dubawi-Miss Lucifer (Noverre) Siyouni-Light Saber (Kendor) High Chaparral-Wana Doo (Grand Slam) Dark Angel-Beatrix Potter (Cadeaux Genereux) Lope de Vega-Queen of Carthage (Cape Cross) Makfi-Rosie’s Posy (Suave Dancer

2011 2008 2008 2006 2006 2007 2005 2012 2014 2002 2011 2014 2009 2011 2015 2015 2015 2018 2016 2013 2015 2015 2013 2011 2016 2017 2007 2012 2007 2017 2012 2007 2012 2014 2001 2012 2012 2015 2011 2016 2014 2010 2014 2018 2012

214 205 284 219 231 244 317 236 228 145 210 340 177 215 231 92 199 123 176 180 148 216 175 190 126 183 154 226 241 134 140 169 135 185 202 175 215 29 162 123 118 149 140 91 133

792 786 1038 771 1066 971 1530 1029 984 517 882 1708 683 868 1121 404 759 400 722 748 563 934 898 730 596 712 644 1150 1228 532 606 894 804 799 1134 837 942 104 735 550 583 775 659 381 587

109 106 95 94 86 95 115 98 99 68 84 145 48 88 97 35 77 44 68 86 61 91 77 68 46 55 59 95 74 54 52 68 59 59 84 71 84 9 52 46 49 54 58 40 54

154 156 127 137 125 132 175 142 140 104 128 211 63 113 147 57 104 56 99 124 88 129 106 100 66 70 80 157 114 65 71 105 80 88 117 120 109 17 76 77 69 76 88 70 83

50.93 51.71 33.45 42.92 37.23 38.93 36.28 41.53 43.42 46.90 40.00 42.65 27.12 40.93 41.99 38.04 38.69 35.77 38.64 47.78 41.22 42.13 44.00 35.79 36.51 30.05 38.31 42.04 30.71 40.30 37.14 40.24 43.70 31.89 41.58 40.57 39.07 31.03 32.10 37.40 41.53 36.24 41.43 43.96 40.60

21 23 19 15 6 15 7 11 9 20 11 11 6 5 12 3 7 4 4 11 7 5 3 3 5 4 9 3 3 7 2 3 4 6 4 3 3 3 1 3 2 0 3 0 2

31 31 27 22 8 17 12 14 13 26 19 11 9 6 12 5 11 8 5 14 7 5 3 6 7 6 12 3 4 9 2 4 4 8 6 3 3 7 1 3 3 0 3 0 2

8,714,306 8,032,659 7,278,551 6,256,269 5,199,795 4,973,542 4,795,157 4,771,666 4,614,811 4,493,905 4,438,250 4,413,576 4,007,965 3,893,435 3,397,874 3,345,693 3,338,111 3,157,778 3,033,105 2,889,733 2,614,535 2,597,163 2,539,676 2,359,366 2,263,811 2,200,098 2,182,408 2,161,340 2,065,455 2,063,561 2,061,745 1,901,780 1,881,533 1,874,452 1,771,815 1,760,965 1,707,386 1,674,037 1,578,279 1,557,978 1,554,220 1,543,000 1,532,828 1,492,379 1,490,358

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stallion statistics Leading European Sires of 2YOS 2026 (by prize-money earned to September 14, 2026)

Courtesy of Weatherbys

Stallion

Pedigree

YoB

Rnrs

Runs

Wnrs

Wins

Wnrs/Rnrs %

SWnrs

SWs

€

Sioux Nation No Nay Never Mehmas Blue Point Wootton Bassett Lucky Vega Havana Grey Persian Force Starspangledbanner Kodi Bear Bayside Boy Frankel Cotai Glory Minzaal Blackbeard Space Blues Night of Thunder Soldier’s Call Ten Sovereigns Saxon Warrior Goken Dark Angel Sea The Stars Lope de Vega Showcasing Harry Angel Justify Rajasinghe State of Rest St Mark’s Basilica Ghaiyyath Ubettabelieveit Camelot Naval Crown Churchill Armor Mohaather Kingman Too Darn Hot Sealiway Calyx Starman Space Traveller Ardad Kodiac

Scat Daddy-Dream The Blues (Oasis Dream) Scat Daddy-Cat’s Eye Witness (Elusive Quality) Acclamation-Lucina (Machiavellian) Shamardal-Scarlett Rose (Royal Applause) Iffraaj-Balladonia (Primo Dominie) Lope de Vega-Queen of Carthage (Cape Cross) Havana Gold-Blanc de Chine (Dark Angel) Mehmas-Vida Amorosa (Lope de Vega Choisir-Gold Anthem (Made of Gold) Kodiac-Hawattef (Mujtahid) New Bay-Alava (Anabaa) Galileo-Kind (Danehill) Exceed And Excel-Continua (Elusive Quality) Mehmas-Pardoven (Clodovil) No Nay Never-Muirin (Born To Sea) Dubawi-Miss Lucifer (Noverre) Dubawi-Forest Storm (Galileo) Showcasing-Dijarvo (Iceman) No Nay Never-Seeking Solace (Exceed And Excel) Deep Impact-Maybe (Galileo) Kendargent-Gooseley Chope (Indian Rocket) Acclamation-Midnight Angel (Machiavellian) Cape Cross-Urban Sea (Miswaki) Shamardal-Lady Vettori (Vettori) Oasis Dream-Arabesque (Zafonic) Dark Angel-Beatrix Potter (Cadeaux Genereux) Scat Daddy-Stage Magic (Ghostzapper) Choisir-Bunditten (Soviet Star) Starspangledbanner-Repose (Quiet American) Siyouni-Cabaret (Galileo) Dubawi-Nightime (Galileo) Kodiac-Ladylishandra (Mujadil) Montjeu-Tarfah (Kingmambo) Dubawi-Come Alive (Dansili) Galileo-Meow (Storm Cat) No Nay Never-Hestia (High Chaparral Showcasing-Roodeye (Inchinor) Invincible Spirit-Zenda (Zamindar) Dubawi-Dar Re Mi (Singspiel) Galiway-Kensea (Kendargent) Kingman-Helleborine (Observatory) Dutch Art-Northern Star (Montjeu Bated Breath-Sky Crystal (Galileo) Kodiac-Good Clodora (Red Clubs) Danehill -Rafha (Kris

2015 2011 2014 2014 2008 2018 2015 2020 2006 2012 2019 2008 2012 2018 2020 2016 2011 2016 2016 2015 2012 2005 2006 2007 2007 2014 2015 2015 2018 2018 2015 2018 2009 2018 2014 2019 2016 2011 2016 2018 2016 2017 2016 2014 2001

79 72 82 74 52 33 64 52 49 58 39 29 71 60 50 43 30 40 40 45 31 58 18 26 60 44 8 11 25 38 34 29 25 30 33 20 35 29 33 24 36 45 43 51 23

233 202 234 198 117 93 196 175 121 201 109 68 230 181 140 131 63 161 108 100 122 155 37 51 175 114 18 41 73 89 70 110 40 89 72 62 108 59 91 83 83 116 126 176 78

31 29 33 25 19 13 25 18 13 29 14 14 22 15 19 10 11 15 18 14 9 10 9 8 8 13 3 5 5 11 8 7 1 7 7 7 10 6 13 7 10 11 12 9 11

44 42 41 30 23 20 36 24 18 37 23 18 27 18 23 17 15 23 20 14 11 14 12 13 11 19 5 6 6 11 10 13 2 8 11 10 13 7 18 13 11 12 17 11 13

39.24 40.28 40.24 33.78 36.54 39.39 39.06 34.62 26.53 50.00 35.90 48.28 30.99 25.00 38.00 23.26 36.67 37.50 45.00 31.11 29.03 17.24 50.00 30.77 13.33 29.55 37.50 45.45 20.00 28.95 23.53 24.14 4.00 23.33 21.21 35.00 28.57 20.69 39.39 29.17 27.78 24.44 27.91 17.65 47.83

5 6 1 2 3 0 3 1 1 2 3 3 2 1 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

8 10 1 2 4 0 3 1 2 2 4 3 2 1 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 1 2 4 1 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

2,204,224 1,657,033 1,142,961 1,097,941 843,540 793,452 777,994 668,285 658,111 655,508 623,622 590,875 586,558 505,228 457,709 446,446 443,610 438,745 431,889 429,833 415,106 403,188 371,111 367,742 363,198 362,510 355,994 352,427 351,069 348,102 322,603 315,475 312,861 308,179 304,191 288,169 278,230 274,383 258,056 245,163 224,591 221,632 212,643 204,478 202,377

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HASCOMBE VALIANT BRED STAKES WINNERS TO DATE IN 2026

TITLE ROLE winner of Saratoga Derby (Grade 1), Saratoga 1m1f and German 2000 Guineas (Group 2), Cologne 1m

DANIELLE winner of William Hill Bronte Cup Fillies’ Stakes (Group 3), York 1m6f and 2nd in Park Hill Stakes (Group 2), Doncaster 1m6½f

EARTH SHOT winner of Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2), Royal Ascot 1m4f

CALENDAR GIRL winner of Dick Hern Listed Stakes, Haydock 1m

ALSO Four-time winner VALEDICTORY, winner of £133,485

HASCOMBE VALIANT STUD HASCOMBE & VALIANT STUD is pleased to offer an outstanding draft of yearlings at Tattersalls October Sale.

Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Book 1 136 b.c. SEA THE STARS - Netherton (Frankel) From the family of G1 winners Star Catcher and Cannock Chase

194 b.c. SEA THE STARS - Queen Aminatu (Muhaarar) Dam 3-time Listed winner from immediate family of Footstepsinthesand

155 ch.c. DUBAWI - Our Obsession (Shamardal) Dam Listed winner of three races from four starts. Dam of Frankellina, 2nd G3 Musidora Stakes

432 b.c. LOPE DE VEGA - Crimson Rosette (Teofilo) Dam Listed winner of four races from family of Courage Mon Ami

189 b.c. NIGHT OF THUNDER - Purple Ribbon (Gleneagles) Dual winner from family of Courage Mon Ami

439 ch.c. NEW BAY - Dame Malliot (Champs Elysees) Dam won G2 Princess of Wales’ Stakes and multiple G1-placed

444 b.f. BAAEED - Dawn Horizons (New Approach) Multiple winner, dam of Crack Of Light (LR winner), family of Rebecca Sharp and Frankly Darling

Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Book 2 789 MOSTAHDAF - Plucky Lass (Medaglia d’Oro) Dam of three winners incl. Calendar Girl G3 Oh So Sharp Stakes, family of Courage Mon Ami

1129 CRACKSMAN - Bartzella (Golden Horn) Listed winner of three races, from the family of Peintre Celebre

1244 BLUE POINT - Domino Darling (Golden Horn) Dam winner and multiple Listed placed, family of Pursuit Of Love

Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Book 3 1394 PINATUBO - Perfect Inch (Dark Angel) Dam winner and Listed placed, from immediate family of G1 winners Ruling Court, Miss Keller and Poet’s Word

1424 CRACKSMAN - Riviera Belle (Medaglia d’Oro) Immediate family of Derby winner Golden Horn

1461 STUDY OF MAN - Spring Fever (Dubawi) Dam winner of two races from immediate family of Peintre Celebre

In 2026, Hascombe bred horses have already won £1,600,000 on the flat

us review AIRLIE STUD: sales yearlings 2026 Goffs Orby Sale: Book 1 Lot..... Horse......Sire......................Dam................................. Dam sire 4............ b,c.........Invincible Spirit ........ Finagle ................................... Azamour 26.......... ch,c.......Starspangledbanner .Good Place ...........................Street Cry 89.......... ch,f........State of Rest ............ Lady of The Lamp ........Invincible Spirit 105........ b,c.........Too Darn Hot............. Lismore ................................... Zoffany 143........ b,f..........Sea The Moon........... Moll Davis .............................. Kingman 218........ ch,c.......Space Blues ............. Quicksand ............ Footstepsinthesand 372........ b,c.........Sottsass ................... Arty Crafty .................................... Arch 422........ b,c.........Siyouni...................... Chablis ......................................Galileo 447........ b,c.........Kingman................... Dane Street ...........................Street Cry 468........ b,c.........Sea The Stars ........... Dupioni .....................................Siyouni

Goffs Orby Sale: Book 2 Lot..... Horse......Sire......................Dam................................. Dam sire 489........ b,c.........Shaquille .................. Final Check ..........................Expert Eye 606........ b,c.........Study of Man ............ Marsh Daisy .............................. Pivotal 629........ b,c.........Awtaad ..................... Mousebird ............................... Zoffany 803........ b,f..........Make Believe ............ Wise Judgement ............. Lope de Vega

Tattersalls October Sale: Book 1 Lot..... Horse......Sire......................Dam................................. Dam sire 10.......... b,f..........Sioux Nation............. Flora Danica...............................Galileo 247........ b,c.........Blue Point................. Skitter Scatter.................... Sact Daddy

Tattersalls October Sale: Book 2 Lot..... Horse......Sire......................Dam................................. Dam sire 478........ b,f..........New Bay ................... Field of Stars ....................Acclamation 659........ b,f..........Mehmas ................... Marie Celeste .............................Galileo 861........ b,f..........American Pharoah .... Rose Barton ........................Caravaggio 1144...... b,c.........Starspangledbanner ... Bitter Lake ................................. Halling

us review

Bred to last Leo Powell meets Airlie Stud’s Sonia Rogers and her son Anthony The family and farm have been breeding top-class horses for over 60 years, and last year sold a Too Darn Hot yearling colt for a million guineas. Now named First Law, he is a Listed winner, unbeaten in two starts, and is an exciting prospect for Godolphin. Once again a smart draft of Airlie Stud-bred yearlings are heading to sale rings this autumn

IXTY YEARS AGO, Glad Rags won the 1,000 Guineas for owner Alice du Pont Mills, the filly trained by Vincent O’Brien. The daughter of High Hat, a colt who raced with success for Sir Winston Churchill, was bred by the British Prime Minister’s former aide-de-camp Captain Tim Rogers at Airlie Stud. It was the start of a breeding empire that would play a huge part in Ireland’s development as a leading equine nation, and today is still producing top class racehorses – more of that later. Airlie Stud, now run by Anthony Rogers, is celebrating 30 years since his return to the family enterprise after time abroad gaining experience and insights. Today he works closely with his mother Sonia, who inherited the business following the death of her husband on New Year’s Day in 1984. Tim Rogers was just 62, and Sonia was mother of two sons, John and

Anthony, then aged just 14 and 12. Nowadays, many professionally involved in the bloodstock world might not be aware that Airlie Stud and its associated farms were a global giant, standing some 14 stallions, comprising a group of studs that included Grangewilliam, Loughtown, Simmonstown, Loughmore and Baroda, and with a broodmare band in three figures. The original Airlie Stud was based in Lucan, now a major suburb of Dublin. Today Airlie comprises the main farm, Grangewilliam, and the nearby Kilmacredock Stud, which was acquired following Captain Rogers’ death. The latter is the base for yearlings. Anyone visiting the farms for the first time, just outside the university town of Maynooth and a short drive from Dublin airport, will be struck by its idyllic setting. Horses are raised as close to nature as it is possible to do, tended by staff many of whom

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have spent a lifetime working with the Rogers family. The global success enjoyed by graduates of this renowned nursery speaks volumes for the care and upbringing the horses receive. In the time since Anthony’s return to the fold, working alongside his mother, they have enjoyed Group 1 Classic success with Bachelor Duke, Margarula and Petrushka, while the list of top-level winners, some bred in partnership, includes Allegretto, Chelsea Rose, Consent, Fifty Stars, Intense Focus, Kingsfort, Knight’s Order, Kutub, Red Lark, Skitter Scatter and Zafisio. The number of stakes winners is

Mother and son team: Sonia and Anthony Rogers Photo: Tattersalls

far greater, and averages about three individual winners each year, a remarkable strike-rate given the smaller broodmare band size of today. Married to one of the great figures in Irish bloodstock, who came from a distinguished line of men, Sonia Rogers could herself boast of a “Classic” background. A daughter of Elizabeth Burke, she grew up at her mother’s Stackallen Stud, then a pre-eminent consignor at the yearling sales, and on many

occasions the leading vendor at Goffs. Mrs Burke was the first to sell stock at a yearling sale in Britain or Ireland that realised over 100,000gns. That was in 1981 at Goffs. In her early days working in the industry, the then Sonia Pilkington spent time at the BBA where her great mentor was the famous Kazimierz Bobinski. Following her stint there she was secretary at Cloghran Stud, again one of the most famous stud farms in Europe, and owned by the Samuelson family. But, even with this experience behind her, it was hardly adequate preparation for what lay ahead. She married Captain Tim Rogers, and they developed Airlie Stud into one of the best stallion farms in Europe, but at a young age she was to find herself in sole charge of the empire too soon. Anyone familiar with Airlie will know that you always find the mother and son team of Sonia and Anthony working side by side, along with their trusted lieutenant David Sullivan. Four decades ago, Sullivan took on the management of Loughtown Stud, and a handful of years after that assumed the role of Airlie’s assistant manager. Today he is general manager, friend and confidante, and the trio work incredibly well in tandem. The dynamic between mother and son is wonderful to witness at close quarters. They clearly have great respect for each other, and their individual strengths complement each other. They enjoy being together and having fun. Asking each what they are like to work with, Anthony didn’t hesitate. “She’s a nightmare!” he blurted, to which his mother’s response was to collapse with laughter. But he adds: “It works well Mum, doesn’t it? I have learned so much from her.” Sonia was more measured. “Anthony does pretty well everything. I go through the catalogues from beginning to end.

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“That’s really my thing because I am interested in families, and always have been. That comes from my time spent with Bobinski. I appear in the office every morning, do emails, get up to speed with what’s going on, and I obviously watch everything that runs.”

Moving on a generation It is clear that Anthony has enormous respect for how his mother kept the business going following his father’s death, even if Sonia tends at times to play down her role. “Sadly, I didn’t get to learn from my Dad, but Mum learned from him, and did so from her own mother, and she has passed it on. Then again, you’re always learning in this game,” he reflects. “Do I feel a weight of responsibility given the history of the place? To begin with I did a little, but that has got lighter. The most amazing thing when Dad died was Mum keeping the whole thing going. My brother John and I were about 18 and 16 when she pulled us both in and said, ‘Right guys, I’ve done this for four years, and we have to think about whether to carry on?’ “She then said ‘I want to know is one of you going to keep it going?’ “My brother said ‘nope’, but I sort of stuck my hand up and thought this seems interesting and quite fun, and so here we are today!” As it turned out, Sonia’s second passion is for the arts, and it was that road that John followed, as have other family members. Sadly, John died suddenly four years ago. Anthony is a fourth generation Rogers to make a mark in the bloodstock and racing spheres, and I wondered if it will extend to a fifth? “Time will tell. My youngest Jack seems to be enjoying it at the moment, but things can change. It’s nice to slowly feed the interest without bombarding him. “I don’t want him to feel the

The Airlie Stud-bred 1,000 Guineas winner Glad Rags (right) working at Ascot with Lester Piggott up. She won the Classic on her three-year-old debut and finished third in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes

I sort of stuck my hand up and thought this seems interesting and quite fun, and so here we are today! pressure, and want to just let it grow organically.” After her husband’s death, Sonia, though, had no choice but to carry on. What perhaps gave her added impetus and a steely determination were comments, made to her face, by leading male members of the racing establishment. One that made her especially angry was, “You don’t honestly think you’re going to go on with this lot, do you?”, while another offered the opinion that, “You are never going to manage this, but you have got enough money to last

you five years, so I wouldn’t worry.” She has never forgotten the remarks, and how wrong she proved both men. One of the most dramatic and strategic moves Sonia and Anthony made was to exit the stallion business. This was somewhat ironic, given that it was the scheme, proposed by Captain Rogers, that ignited the growth of Ireland as a major global power in the stallion world. Fuelled by a desire to help breeders become involved in stallion ownership, when syndication was the norm, the Irish government allowed income from stallions to be tax free. Airlie had a reputation second to none for its stallions, and forever the name Habitat will be recalled. He became the most important sire of his time, and his influence is still felt today, thanks to his daughters and their offspring. He was 21 when he had to be euthanised after suffering from laminitis.

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With the stallions gone, Sonia and Anthony focused on broodmares, and have been responsible for forging a number of very successful families. What is it that Anthony likes most about his mother’s wisdom and advice? “It is wonderful to have her to lean on, and say ‘don’t worry about that’ or ‘get on and do this’. “She is a great sounding board, she shoots from the hip — she tells you exactly what she thinks. I appreciate her honesty.” Sonia outlined: “We work as a team, listening to others, but we make our own calls. The exception is when we are buying a filly to race — then we get the trainer to look at her.” Anthony served a long apprenticeship, which saw him work at leading farms, with US trainer Dick Mandella, the Inglis bloodstock sales company, as well as an educational period with the enigmatic James Underwood in London. Stories of his time with the latter are hilarious, while his spells with Circle O Farm and Three Chimneys in America, along with Widden in Australia, were beneficial. He has especially fond remembrances of his time with Mandella. “I was fortunate to work with great people, and to learn so much. Everywhere I went, Mum wrote a letter to them to say they were to work me to the bone – and, if I complained, to work me even harder! “These experiences were so important, and all of the people I worked for and with are friends to this day.” Every successful business has a USP, and one that could apply to Airlie is loyalty. Whether it is the team at Airlie, stalwarts such as David Sullivan, Norman Kavanagh or Ken Murtagh, or working with partners in breeding, the likes of Maria Niarchos, Kirsten Rausing, Robert Clay and more, it is evident that longevity, trust and honesty are key components. The history of the Rogers family and their continuing success proves that loyalty works.

Sonia Rogers with her late husband Captain Tim Rogers, below, taking some time out at the bloodstock sales to enjoy ice cream with the farm’s general manager David Sullivan and son Anthony

Tim Rogers: a man before his time Airlie Stud was founded by Captain Tim Rogers, and this was a different path for the son of Captain Thomas Duggan Rogers, known to all as “Darby”, and the grandson of Jack Rogers — both Tim’s forebears were champion trainers. Jack, born John Thomas, was the Irish champion trainer three times in a row,

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and in 1935 he saddled the winners of all five Irish Classics, a feat that has only been repeated once since. In all, he sent out a dozen Irish Classic winners, and Trigo was one of his five winners of the Phoenix Stakes. Jack’s son Bryan took over the licence in 1938 and was champion trainer that year, while his father took over the license again in 1939 when Bryan enlisted in the RAF. Darby Rogers moved to Ireland to supervise the dispersal sale of Jack’s stables following his death in 1940, and decided to remain. He set up a stable at the edge of The Curragh and went on to enjoy much success. His eight Irish Classic wins included the 1955 Irish 1,000 Guineas with Dark Issue, in the silks of Winston Churchill. Darby Rogers was followed into the training ranks by his younger son John Michael, or Mickey Rogers. From very small numbers trained, he had notable success, and will forever be associated with the Classic winner Santa Claus, and fellow Epsom Derby hero Hard

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Ridden. Like his older brother Tim, Mickey’s early death, at the age of 60, was a great loss to Irish racing. He had been a valuable help to Sonia when Tim died at the age of 62. Captain Rogers was a champion of the smaller breeder and an innovator. His proposal to stand stallions under a beneficial tax concession was instrumental in putting Ireland in pole position as a European and world leader. He was also the first to introduce the concept of foal sharing, allowing breeders with limited funds to gain access to some of the better stallions on his roster. Bear in mind that at this time sires covered small books of mares. Again, as a trailblazer, Captain Rogers had interests in Australia and a stud farm in New Zealand, decades before the shuttling of stallions was to become an everyday phenomenon. He and Sonia were one of the first from overseas allowed to own land in New Zealand outright, and they got the permission to do so from the prime minister Robert Muldoon. People with such foresight are once in a generation, but their life’s work leaves a legacy that professionals today continue to reap rewards from. Rogers’ association with Churchill was also to prove fruitful when it came to the stallion business. The latter raced both High Hat and Vienna, and both colts retired to stud at Airlie. High Hat’s first crop yielded that Classic winner Glad Rags. Sold for 6,800gns as a yearling, she was the best juvenile filly of 1965. Vienna sired the great Vaguely Noble.

Courtesy of Tattersalls

Lot 95 (above), the son of Too Darn Hot out of Dane Street bought for a million guineas by Godolphin at Tattersalls October Book 1, 2025. He is now called First Law and won his maiden on debut and the Listed Ascendant Stakes on his second start Lot 424 (below): the Sea The Stars filly out of Skitter Scatter sold for 625,000gns to SackvilleDonald

The exciting First Law headlining yearling sale successes Twenty-five yearlings are due to be consigned by Airlie Stud this year, each of them born and raised at the farm, and no one knows better than Anthony and Sonia what a tense time it is leading up to the autumn sales. Sonia’s mother was regularly the

Courtesy of Tattersalls

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leading yearling consignor at Goffs when the company was based in Dublin, while Airlie has also been among the most successful vendors at Newmarket and Kill over six decades. In 2020, the farm sold a son of Dubawi and Dane Street for 700,000gns to Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin, still one of the top 20 prices achieved by a foal at Tattersalls. Named Victory Dance he was a Listed winner at two and Group-placed. That price was surpassed last year by a yearling from Airlie in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Once more, it was Godolphin who stepped up to the mark when Anthony Stroud gave 1,000,000gns for a son of Too Darn Hot, again out of Dane Street. Named First Law, he overcame all kinds of trouble in running to get up and win on his August debut at Sandown for Charlie Appleby. As pleasing as that result was, better has already come. For his second outing, Appleby chose the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock,

The Airlie Stud-bred Lorenzaccio beating Nijinsky in the Champion Stakes (G1)

The Sioux Nation is a sharp filly, well-balanced and a lovely mover, and I wish we had used Sioux Nation again this year! and First Law made all the running on this occasion to land the prize, again showing a degree of inexperience, but he kept finding more to win. He is clearly a young horse on the upgrade, and he has two fans in his trainer, and winning jockey William Buick. Appleby said: “It was very pleasing to see First Law win, and hopefully he will come on again for that run. We might look at something like the [Group 3] Autumn Stakes.” Given that in the last decade Appleby and Buick have combined to win the Autumn Stakes with the subsequent Group 1 winners Ghaiyyath, Coroebus and Ancient Wisdom, and the Group 1 runners-up One Ruler and Silver Knott, it is certainly a race that he likes to use as a springboard for his better colts. André Fabre and Aidan O’Brien have also won the race in the last 10 years The 1964 Derby winner Santa Claus, trained by Mickey Rogers, owned by John Ismay and Mrs Darby Rogers

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with Persian King and Delacroix. At Haydock, Buick added: “First Law landed in front and didn’t know what to do. He only just got up at Sandown, so it was the first time he has been in front for so long in a race, and it was a good performance today. It was a learning curve and I thought the end product was very good.” The colt has some other tasty engagements ahead, and his Kingman half-brother will be a huge attraction at the Goffs Orby Sale (Lot 447). This Dane Street success story started from a position of failure. A winning daughter of Street Cry, she failed to sell for 80,000gns as a yearling in 2010. Retained by Airlie, who co-bred the half-sister to Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes winner Intense Focus with former Three Chimneys owner Robert Clay, now more than 15 years on, the Rogers family continues to enjoy rich dividends. Most famously, Dane Street provided the champion two-year-old filly Skitter Scatter, the daughter of Scat Daddy, who won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in Anthony’s colours. In the immediate afterglow of selling First Law, Anthony said: “It is a great price. This is a lovely horse. You can never believe that you are going to get a million for a horse. Dane Street has been an amazing mare for us and we failed to sell her here about 15 years ago!” What a silver lining that cloud had! With seven winners from eight runners, all of her first eight offspring,

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four of them are stakes winners, Dane Street has been a phenomenal producer. Dane Street has just three daughters. Skitter Scatter has a home forever at Airlie, her stakes-winning and Group-placed Kingman daughter Skellet is in the Juddmonte broodmare band, while the graded-placed Data Dependent is dam of the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks winner Aspen Grove (Justify). Another branch of this family is responsible for the most recent Airliebred Group 1 winner. That is Consent, a daughter of Lope De Vega, who last year produced a career-best performance to land the Prix de Royallieu for Denford Stud. Consent’s Sioux Nation half-sister will be one of the first lots in Book 1 at Tattersalls this year (Lot 10), while day two features a Blue Point colt out of Skitter Scatter (Lot 247). Consent’s dam Flora Danica is owned jointly with Maria Niarchos, who was keen to get into the family, and did so some years ago. Nothing is taken for granted as the sales season gets into gear, but Anthony is happy with the preparation. He also adopts a realistic approach. “The Sioux Nation is a sharp filly, well-balanced and a lovely mover — I wish we had used Sioux Nation again this year! “The Blue Point is a strong, wellmade colt, a sharp two-year-old type. Blue Point is doing well, and that family

Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) winning the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, inset, Anthony Rogers holding the trophy aloft with jockey Ronan Whelan, alongside Sonia Rogers and trainer Paddy Prendergast

is special to us,” he says, adding: “Jamie McCalmont, a very good friend and someone whose opinion I value highly, suggested the mating for Dane Street to Scat Daddy to produce Skitter Scatter; it has proved to be such a massive influence for the farm.” Sonia adds: “Good families have been a big part of the success story of Airlie, and sticking with them. That’s what Bobinski taught me in the beginning, and it is just as relevant today.”

Last year’s crop of yearlings also contained the three-time raced Gentle Hurricane, the Group 3 Acomb Stakes runner-up and fourth placed in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes.

Great names, but Petrushka still stirs the heart The 1000 Guineas winner Glad Rags of 1966 was the first star to emerge, but there have been countless others over

Farm favourite Petrushka under Johnny Murtagh on the way to Classic success in the Irish Oaks

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the farm’s history 60-year history. Lorenzaccio, a son of Klairon, was one of only two horses to lower the colours of the great Nijinsky during the Triple Crown winner’s career. Pitcairn (Petingo) would go on to sire the successful Airlie stallion Ela-ManaMou, and he in turn produced another international star in Almaarad. Pitcairn sold as a yearling for just IR£3,200. Captain Rogers bought Censorship, the dam of Sorbus, in the US, and what a dynasty she has left,

First Law winning the Ascendant Stakes (L) in fine style on his second career start, and, above, the colt’s first few minutes of life with his dam Dane Street. Terrier Lilly is on maternity nurse duties

primarily as dam of Bahamian. She was bought as a yearling by Juddmonte in 1986 for 310,000gns, and became the granddam of Oasis Dream and greatgranddam of Kingman. The Sussex Stakes (G1) and Prix du Moulin (G1) winner Distant Relative was a son of Habitat, while Kirsten Rausing stood Niniski and he sired two Airliebred Group 1 winners in Assessor and Vialli. The roll of honour also contains Grade 1 winner Storm Trooper. Queried if they had favourites among the legions of great winners, one was mentioned by both Sonia and Anthony. Given her love for the arts, it must have thrilled Sonia that a filly bred at Airlie was named after a ballet composed by Igor Stravinsky. Petrushka was a daughter of Unfuwain, who stood at Shadwell Stud for £10,000 in 1996, the year that the filly was conceived. By then he was sire of the Irish Oaks (G1) winner Bolas and the Dewhurst Stakes (G1) winner Alhaarth. Her dam, Ballet Shoes, was by Ela-Mana-Mou, and she was purchased from Ballymacoll Stud for 42,000gns as a three-year-old having won and placed in five of her seven starts. A few years after her purchase, Ballet Shoes’ half-brother Spectrum won the Irish 2000 Guineas (G1) and Champion Stakes (G1). Her daughter Petrushka sold as a yearling

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at Goffs, where Sonia served as director for many years, and was bought by John Warren for IR110,000gns. She went on to become the champion three-year-old filly in Britain and Ireland, with three successive Group 1 victories in the Irish Oaks, the Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix de l’Opera. If the choice might surprise some, Anthony explains why she meant so much. “Mum bought Ballet Shoes off Ballymacoll. She didn’t want to look at her because she didn’t want Peter [Reynolds] to know she was interested! “She peeked at her over the door — all cloak-and-dagger stuff — and after we bought her, we saw that her front leg was bent! “We just thought ‘Oh my God’, but she never produced anything like that herself. It must have been the way she was in the womb.” Sonia added: “She was a brilliant filly. She was third in the 1000 Guineas, unlucky in the Oaks at Epsom, and then ran away with the Irish Oaks. Her performances are vivid in my mind.” Anthony has one memory that will forever remain with him, being the owner with his mother and the breeder with Robert Clay of Skitter Scatter. If a picture tells its own story, that of the presentation party on the podium after the Moyglare needs no words. The filly was a first Group 1 winner for both Patrick Prendergast, now a good friend of Anthony, and jockey Ronan Whelan, and a granddaughter of Daneleta, one of the first broodmare purchases by Anthony, along with Sonia and Robert Clay. “I will never forget walking back into the parade ring with Mum, and the feeling of euphoria. “It was the culmination of 25 years of work, a moment in time when you say that all the highs and lows have been worth it. “It was a defining moment and so special to share it with Mum, Patrick and Ronan.”

SOLDIER’S CALL

UBETTABELIEVEIT

Multiple Group-winning sprinter and Gr.1 placed at 2

By Sire of Sires KODIAC

One of the fastest colts of his generation

Winner of three races and £116,503 all over 5f incl.: LR National Stakes, Gr.2 Flying Childers Stakes, also 3rd Gr.2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, all at 2

SHOWCASING - DIJARVO (ICEMAN)

Sire of 17 Stakes performers incl. Gr.3 winner DAWN CHARGER Sire of Royal Ascot winner MICKLEY 2026 winners include LR winner BATTITO, ADONIUS (3 wins, Gr.3 and LR 2nd from 5 runs), etc.

ADONIUS, 3 wins, 2nd Molecomb Stakes Gr.3, 2nd Roses Stakes LR, all in 2026

KODIAC – LADY LISHANDRA (MUJADIL)

In 2026, Sire of TOKAIDO (Gr.2, Gr.3 and LR wins), BINT ARCHANGE (LR winner), HILITANY (LR winner), etc. Yearlings sold for up to £95,000 in 2026

TOKAIDO, winner of Prix Robert Papin Gr.2, Prix du Bois Gr.3, Prix La Flèche LR, all in 2026

LOOK OUT FOR THEIR YEARLINGS AT THE REMAINING 2026 SALES Richard Kent: +44 (0)79 73 315722 • richard@mickleystud.co.uk • Clare Lloyd: +44 (0)7875 673260 John Walsh Bloodstock: +353 (0)86 255 8945 • johnwalshrugby@gmail.com • www.mickleystud.co.uk

RETURN ON INVESTMENT Since 2003, we have fed

31 Sales Toppers 57 Millionaire Lots 154 Lots sold for 500k or more Yearlings fed on Saracen realised 41% more than the 2025 Book 1 average

S ER V ICE

S UC CE S S

S CIENCE

S UP P OR T

The World’s Highest Priced Yearling 2025 Lot: 90 Ch Colt Sea The Stars / Crystal Zvezda Consignor: Longview Stud Price: 3,700,000gns

Feed The Difference saracenhorsefeeds.com/thoroughbred

light the ghost

Ghost lighting up

Crispin De Moubray

October pedigrees

Light The Ghost’s recent Group 2 second in Germany has created five pedigree updates across October Book 1 and Book 2 catalogues, adding to an already active and current pedigree that features Lope De Vega and was developed by Gestüt Ammerland We chat with the filly’s owner Crispin De Moubray, who is hoping she can step up to Group 1 success in November, and to yearling consignors with relations heading to Newmarket in October

EDIGREE UPDATES are craved by breeders at all points in a horse’s career – it never hurts to see a new winner or good placed performance on the page particularly if it is close-up in the first or second dam. If that new performance can boast black-type, then all the better. An update, if of enough significance and if the timing is just spot on, can certainly change the course of a sale for the better. Foals are pinhooked and fillies bought in the hope that an update will be forthcoming. And for a broodmare family it can raise the possibility of a total change in breeding direction as the pedigree improves. The benefits of buying from established and large broodmare bands have long been realised, but purchasing a commercial broodmare from a pedigree boasting plenty of females can have many potential upsides. As is often mentioned in sale-purchase quotes the hope is that the relatives will do some of the heavy lifting in the pedigree. The tendrils of some form

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It sounds very blasé now to say, but it has been such fun having a Group horse, but I never realised quite how much fun it is! improvements can spread far, and in this year’s Tattersalls October Book 1 and Book 2, the new Group 2 second placing for the continually progressive Waldgeist filly Light The Ghost, beaten just a length in early September’s T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis (Badener Stutenpreis), was a first result for her at that level stepping up on her victory in the Group 3 1m2f Prix de Flore last autumn. Her form has resulted in updates for four lots in the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale and one in Book 2. The update has come since the catalogue was published further adding to a page that has also gained a new Listed winner this year under the first dam, and alongside a promising

light the ghost

Images by Merle

De Moubray bought Light The Ghost, who is out of a half-sister to Lope de Vega, as an unraced, backward two-year-old filly from Gestüt Ammerland

Wootton Bassett juvenile running for Aidan O’Brien named Haven. “It was a bit of a messy race,” said Light The Ghost’s owner Crispin De Moubray after the German Group 2. “We hoped it would rain and it didn’t, so the ground was just good, which is not ideal for her.” Potential buyers of the filly’s relations have some hope that the page will improved again before the year is out, and it might be left to the last possible point in this year’s European stakes race calendar. “She is in the Arc, but, as we did not win the Group 2 in Germany, that is probably off the agenda now,” reasons De Moubray, whose day job is as a

bloodstock agent. “We are now speaking in September and it is still not raining in Paris! We might leave her in the race just in case there is a downpour and some of the fancied horses for one reason or another don’t run. But, in reality, the likelihood of her running in the Arc is only about five per cent. “There is a Listed race in October at Saint-Cloud and she loves going left-handed and we will likely run there, and then what will probably be her last start for me will be in Germany in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Bayern in November.” De Moubray believes that securing a Group 1 jewel is a realistic goal.

“She is rated 110, but I think she is a 116 or 117 filly, and she enjoys the softer ground,” says the owner. “She’s got a particularly long stride and particularly low stride frequency and my brother Jocelyn and I do believe that good staying horses are horses who can relax into a slow rhythm and then accelerate.” The filly is entered in the Arqana December Sale, although the owner has mixed emotions regarding a future sale. “I did say to my wife that if we win a Group 1, and if we wouldn’t really be risking losing value, I’d be very tempted to keep her — when am I going to have another filly like her? “It sounds very blasé now to say, but it has been such fun having a Group

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horse, but I never realised quite how much fun it is! I have worked a long time with clients with good horses, but when you have a horse in your own colours, well, it just changes everything. “You listen to George Waud, who owns Maltese Cross, and he just says that the horse has given him so much joy. That’s what it’s about, it’s not about how much they’re worth. I do think we get really obsessed about how much horses were bought for and how much they might be sold for. “It is all about joy, and that essence of having a good racehorse hasn’t been lost.” He adds: “I don’t own anything really — I’ve never owned a house; I don’t even own a car, I get around on a bicycle! I own some horses, and that’s it. “So, it’s not like I’m talking from a position of someone who’s very well off and who doesn’t need to worry about money.”

IGHT THE GHOST is trained by Josephine Soudan, who is based in Chantilly with a yard of 23 horses, and the small set-up has added to the delight that De Moubray has experienced throughout his ownership journey. “That joy has been particularly enhanced when you know you’ve got a stable of eight employees who are getting so much out of the filly’s achievements — I’ve had a lot out of this game and it is so great to be able to give some of it back. “And helping someone who you believe in, who’s young, and with such dedicated staff at the yard, it gives me enormous joy when I go to visit as you know everyone will be happy. “I can say hello to everyone by name. I can go through every horse in the yard and be part of it. I feel like I’m helping a group of people who I believe in to succeed, or try to succeed.” Light The Ghost, bred by Gestüt

Images by Merle

On her first step into a Group 2, Light The Ghost finished second, a run in a backend Group 1 beckons

If you looked at this page in 2005, it was very different. Now everyone would now say it’s a great family, but things have to start somewhere Ammerland, was bought privately Moubray. She is out of Light The Stars, a winner at two in Germany and second in the Henkel Stutenpreis (L), third in the Prix de Psyche (G3) and fourth in the German 1,000 Guineas (G2). She has bred three winners from six runners, of whom Light The Ghost is her best so far. De Moubray picks up the tale of his ownership. “I really think it is something of a special story,” he says. “I had worked with Dietrich Von Boetticher, owner of Ammerland, for more than 25 years, but it was decided to wind up the operation, 180 horses were dispersed over the course of three or four years. “There were just two left, two juveniles who were backward. The farm asked what to do so I said, ‘Give me a “Crispin price” and I’ll buy them both!’

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“And so the farm sold me Light The Ghost in September as a two-year-old, and in November a filly called Sevenna’s Bay, who is a New Bay sister to Sevenna’s Knight and from a wonderful black-type staying family. “I couldn’t keep all of both, so I sold 47 per cent of the latter. She’s just won her maiden, so we’ll keep her as a broodmare because she’s wonderfully bred.” He adds, with a smile: “What is lovely is that although both were born in Germany, they both came to France when they were two months old with their mares who had travelled to be covered. I met both of them when they were two little Ammerland foals together on a French stud farm!” Light The Stars’ dam Lady Vettori was a Group 3 winner and placed third in the

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Prix Marcel Boussac (G1), bought by De Moubray for Ammerland. Her significant highlight is as dam of the Prix du Jockey Club (G1), Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) winner and influential stallion Lope De Vega, and Lady Frankel, who was a Group 3 winner and third in the Prix de l’Opera (G1). “Dietrich had just sold Hurricane Run for a fortune and he said, ‘If there’s anything you think I have to buy, you can always call me, right?’ “I called him just twice in 25 years – once was for Lady Vettori, and the other was for the mother of Waldgeist. We paid €500,000 for Lady Vettori and it was absolute lunacy then — she had gone to the sales as dam of three foals! “But she was in-foal to Motivator, which helped then, and I told Dietrich that he had to buy her. “I suggested the mating to Shamardal — it is a very odd inbreeding to Machiavellian, on the top side it’s through Shamardal’s dam Helsinki, and it’s on the bottom side through Lady Vettori’s sire Vettori. I don’t really like inbreeding, but if I am going to do it, that’s how I want to do it. “Dietrich asked if I was sure and he also said that it sounded a bit loopy, but that’s how Lope De Vega was born.” This insight to the family was certainly instrumental in persuading De Moubray to take up the opportunity to invest some of the hard-earned into the young Light The Ghost. “I always loved her as a youngster and believed then that she was the best foal out of the mare. I just thought that if Dietrich’s given me the opportunity to buy a filly from the family of Lope De Vega, I’d be absolutely bonkers not to buy her, particularly as she was an unraced two-year-old by Waldgeist. “I do think that it was meant to be,” he acknowledges admitted to being rather emotional about the whole story. When asked if Light The Ghost is typical of the family, he says, “She’s got the toughness and the speed and everything of Lope De Vega, and she

I just thought that if Dietrich’s given me the opportunity to buy a filly from the family of Lope De Vega, I’d be absolutely bonkers not to buy her certainly has a lot of personality! “She needed to be trained by someone such as Josephine, who trains every single horse individually, and is in a small yard. “It’s just worked in really well. She has some wonderfully experienced staff who have been with her throughout, and the same guy has ridden Ghost the whole way through — and I have even bought a lead horse for her!” But emotional or not, for De Moubray when investing his own or his client’s money into a filly, knowing her pedigree in detail is one of his rationale for any purchase. “I had that relationship with the family, and I think that is so key when you’re investing into fillies — buy a horse who you understand or one you’re involved in. And once you get into a family, and if you think it’s a good family, get as many members as you can, and try to support it. “When you have a pedigree that people suddenly wake up to, suddenly everything in the family gets well looked after and ends up in the hands of good people. “If you looked at this page in 2005, it was very different. Now everyone would now say it’s a great family, but things have to start somewhere.” Sadly, for De Moubray, despite his desire to ignore commercialism and appreciate the experience of owning a good horse, once Light The Ghost finishes racing she is unlikely to remain in his ownership producing little Ghosts

Lope De Vega: the Group 1 star bred by Ammerland

for him and his family to enjoy; De Moubray is a realist regarding her value as a future producer. “I’m afraid I am not rich enough to keep her!” he rues. “If I had a client who would like to buy 80 per cent, I might keep 20 per cent, but I think that is unlikely to happen. “I will mention it to a few people that if she goes to the market.”

Pedigree updates and page improvements

The filly’s form improvement created updates for four entries in the Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale: Lot 24, Lot 75, Lot 79, and Lot 82, and one update to Lot 738 in Book 2. And for those who have invested in the family, as we close in on the Newmarket sale, they can feel some satisfaction that the pedigree they have become involved with is in such an upwardly mobile position. Two years ago, Light The Stars did not have any black-type progeny under her own name or her daughters’ names. Now there are two as, in addition

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light the ghost Light The Stars’ pedigree: Tattersalls October entries in red Sea The Stars (IRE) LIGHT THE STARS (IRE) (2012) A Bay Mare

Lot 75 Lot 24

Lot 82

Lot 738

Lot 79

Lady Vettori (GB) (1997)

Cape Cross (IRE) Urban Sea (USA) Vettori (IRE) Lady Golconda (FR)

Courtesy of Weatherbys

Green Desert (USA) Park Appeal Miswaki (USA) Allegretta Machiavellian (USA) Air Distingue (USA) Kendor (FR) Lady Sharp (FR)

Light The Stars (IRE), , won 1 race at 2 years in Germany and £24,063 and placed 5 times viz second in Henkel Stutenpreis, Dusseldorf, L., third in Prix de Psyché, Deauville, Gr.3 and fourth in German 1000 Guineas, Dusseldorf, Gr.2, Honda Grosse Europa Meile, Munich, Gr.3 and Grosser Preis der Wirtschaft, Dortmund, Gr.3, from only 7 starts; dam of three winners: 2017 LIGHT ANGEL (GB) (c. by Dark Angel (IRE)), won 2 races at 2 and 3 years at home and abroad, £21,595 and placed 8 times. 2018 Lyra Star (IRE) (f. by Frankel (GB)), ran a few times in France at 3 years. 2019 Lady Loulou (IRE) (f. by Dark Angel (IRE)), placed 3 times at 3 and 4 years, She has a 2025 colt by Kingman (GB) (Lot 75); dam of a winner vizLizzy (GB) (f. byDream Oasis Dream 1 race 2 years, 2026 and£12,056 £9,669, placed third inonce Dragon Miss LizzyMiss (GB) (f. by Oasis (GB)),(GB)), 1 race at 2 atyears, 2026 and and placed viz Stakes, third in Sandown Park, Dragon Stakes, Sandown, L.L. 2020 GENTLE (GB) (f. by No Nay Never (USA)), won 1 race at 3 years in U.S.A. and £50,410 and placed once, She has a 2025 filly by Galiway (GB) (Lot 24). 2021 Light The Moon (IRE) (f. by Kingman (GB)), unraced. 2022 LIGHT THE GHOST (GER) (f. by Waldgeist (GB)), won 3 races at 3 years, 2025 in France and £103,107 including Prix de Flore, Saint-Cloud, Gr.3, placed 5 times including second in T. von Zastrow Stutenpreis, Baden-Baden, Gr.2 and third in Prix Allez France, Saint-Cloud, Gr.3 and Prix Charles Laffitte, Compiegne, L. 2023 Solve (IRE) (f. by Zarak (FR)), ran once in U.S.A. at 3 years, 2026. 2024 Haven (IRE) (f. by Wootton Bassett (GB)), placed once at 2 years, 2026, from only 2 starts. 2025 (f. by Blue Point (IRE)), (Lot 82). 2026 (f. by Havana Grey (GB)). 1st Dam LADY VETTORI (GB), won 5 races at 2 years in France and £77,054 including Prix du Calvados, Deauville, Gr.3, Critérium du Béquet, La Teste - Bassin Arcachon, L., placed twice including third in Prix Marcel Boussac, ParisLongchamp, Gr.1; dam of nine winners from 9 runners and 12 foals of racing age includingLOPE DE VEGA (IRE) (c. by Shamardal (USA)), Top rated 3yr old in France in 2010 (9.5-10.5f.), won 4 races at 2 and 3 years in France and £1,055,611 including Prix du Jockey Club, Chantilly, Gr.1, Poule d'Essai des Poulains, ParisLongchamp, Gr.1, placed twice including fourth in Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère, ParisLongchamp, Gr.1; sire. LADY FRANKEL (GB) (f. by Frankel (GB)), won 2 races at 3 years in France and £127,292 including Prix de Lieurey, Deauville, Gr.3, placed 5 times including third in Prix de l'Opéra, Chantilly, Gr.1, Prix de la Grotte, Chantilly, Gr.3 and fourth in Prix Jean Romanet, Deauville, Gr.1; dam of a winner vizLord Clover (IRE) (c. by Siyouni (FR)), 1 race at 3 years, 2026 in France, £39,943 and placed 3 times including second in Prix de Guiche, Chantilly, Gr.3, also fourth in Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (2000 Guineas), Cologne, Gr.2. BAL DE LA ROSE (IRE) (f. by Cadeaux Genereux), won 4 races at 2 and 3 years in France and £64,840 including Prix André Baboin, Lyon-Parilly, Gr.3, Prix La Sorellina, La Teste - Bassin Arcachon, L., placed 3 times including fourth in Prix Luthier, Deauville, L.; dam of 10 winners includingDANCETERIA (FR) (g. by Redoute's Choice (AUS)), won Grosser Dallmayr Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, Munich, Gr.1, La Coupe, ParisLongchamp, Gr.3, Prix Jacques Laffitte, Maisons-Laffitte, L., placed fourth in Eclipse Stakes, Sandown, Gr.1. BLOSSOMTIME (GB) (f. by Shamardal (USA)), 4 races at 2 and 3 years at home and in France and £54,194 including Prix Isola Bella, Saint-Cloud, L., placed 5 times. ASKANIA NOVA (IRE), 1 race at 3 years in France and £12,130 and placed once; grandam of BARNAVARA (IRE) (f. by Calyx (GB)), 5 races at 2 and 3 years, 2025 at home and in France and £447,673 including Prix de l'Opéra, ParisLongchamp, Gr.1, Blandford Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2, Blue Wind Stakes, Naas, Gr.3, Kooyonga Stakes, Navan, L. Nectar de Rose (FR), ran once at 3 years, She has a 2025 colt by Sea The Stars (IRE), (Lot 738); dam of SEA VENTURE (IRE), 1 race at 2 years, 2026, from only 2 starts. LORD OF THE LAND (IRE) (c. by Shamardal (USA)), won 8 races at 3 to 5 years at home and in France and £126,069 including Golden Rose Stakes, Lingfield, L., placed 5 times including third in Phoenix Sprint Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3 and Prix de Meautry, Deauville, Gr.3. Light The Stars (IRE) (f. by Sea The Stars (IRE)), see above. LAVANDE VIOLET (GER), won 2 races at 3 years in Germany, She has a 2025 colt by Ace Impact (IRE), (Lot 79); dam of 6 winners includingThe Last Waltz (FR) (f. by Golden Horn (GB)), 1 race at 3 years in France and £37,177 and placed 4 times including second in Prix de Liancourt, ParisLongchamp, L. FLOWER BOWL (FR), won 1 race at 3 years in France and £11,060 and placed 4 times; dam of 7 winners includingFace Surface (GER) (c. by Turtle Bowl (IRE)), 2 races at 3 and 4 years in France and £38,852 and placed 5 times including second in Prix Georges Trabaud, Marseille-Borély, L. PETITE NOBLESSE (FR), 2 races at 2 and 3 years in France and £30,179 and placed once; dam of JUPYRA (FR) (f. by Le Havre (IRE)), 4 races at 3 and 4 years in France and £83,201 including Prix Dahlia, Saint-Cloud, L. 2nd Dam LADY GOLCONDA (FR), unraced; dam of seven winners from 9 runners and 10 foals of racing age includingLADY VETTORI (GB) (f. by Vettori (IRE)), see above. Rosey de Megeve (GB) (f. by Efisio), won 3 races at 2 to 4 years in France and in U.S.A. and £107,989 and placed second in Prix de la Cochère, Chantilly, L., Prix La Sorellina, La Teste - Bassin Arcachon, L., Prix du PontNeuf, ParisLongchamp, L. and Prix La Camargo, Saint-Cloud, L.; dam of winners. REAL VALUE (FR), (Rated: FR 100), won Grosser Preis des Audi Zentrums Hannover, Hannover, Gr.3. 3rd Dam LADY SHARP (FR), won 1 race at 3 years in France; dam of eight winners from 8 runners and 12 foals of racing age includingLADY BLESSINGTON (FR), won 11 races in France and in U.S.A. including All Along Stakes, Laurel, Gr.2, Prix Minerve, Evry, Gr.3, placed third in Santa Ana Handicap, Santa Anita, Gr.1; dam of winners.

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to Light The Ghost with her Group 3-winning black-type and lower case Group 2 placing in Germany, Light The Stars’ granddaughter Miss Lizzy (Oasis Dream), a first foal out of Lady Loulou, is a winner and has black-type having finished third in the Dragon Stakes (L) for trainer Charlie Fellowes and owner-breeder Ahmaed Abu Khadra. Further, Light The Stars’ two-yearold daughter by Wootton Bassett called Haven, who was bought by MV Magnier at last year’s October Book 1 Sale for 550,000gns, has run twice. She finished second on her second start at Cork, having been drawn on the disadvantaged side of the track. She looks to be a more than capable and surely is a winner to happen with some hope of black-type form in the future. The Blue Point half-sister (Lot 82) to Light The Ghost and Haven will be consigned by Paddy and Helena Burns’ Loughtown Stud, who now own Light The Stars, while the Kingman half-brother to Miss Lizzy (Lot 75) is to be sold for his breeder by Tom Blain’s Barton Stud.

Lot 75 The Kingman colt was bred by Ahmaed Abu Khadra, who bought Lady Loulou at the Arqana September Select Sale in 2020 for €340,000 through Charles Gordon-Watson Bloodstock. Blain says of the colt: “With the active pedigree, this colt has turned into a really interesting horse. He’s big and strong with a great walk, loads of bone and just a really nice horse; trainer Charlie Fellows came to see him the other week and was very impressed. “It is exciting having such an impressive individual to go to the sale with such an interesting pedigree that is also so current with Miss Lizzy having done so well and everything else that is going on — happy days! “For Lady Loulou to have got a black-type horse with her first runner

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and then a really nice good-looking horse as a second foal is great, I am a big believer in Dark Angel as a broodmare sire. “It bodes really well for her future and that of the pedigree; it was a brave decision to cover Lady Loulou with Kingman, but hopefully it has worked out. She also had a Kingman colt foal this year and is in-foal to Baaeed.” He adds of the importance of active pedigrees: “There are a lot of pretty old dead pedigrees around, and so to have something so current and relevant is great. “It is important when buying fillies to try and buy from pedigrees that are happening and evolving — particularly with these good-looking families as then you always have a chance. “We’re in a tough world where it is difficult to sell, and you need goodTom Blain: set to consign Lot 75, the Kingman colt out of Lady Loulou, a Dark Angel half-sister to Light The Ghost

looking horses to bring buyers, and pedigrees, like everything, need to stay relevant.”

Lot 82 Light The Stars was bought by BBA Ireland at the Arqana December Sale 2022 for €160,000, having produced one winner in Britain, a 2017-born Dark Angel filly called Light Angel, who does not feature now on an edited catalogue page. Light The Ghost was then newly a weaned foal and at Ammerland. The mare was purchased on behalf of Loughtown Stud. “Obviously pedigree-wise, it is a great Ammerland pedigree, and half-sisters to horses such as Lope De Vega and by Sea The Stars – well, they very rarely come on the market,” explains Loughtown’s Paddy Burns of the decision to buy the daughter of Sea The Stars, who was sold with a covering to Zarak. “She hadn’t produced anything as good as herself or her brother at that point so we were taking a chance.” He adds: “She was a year early on the Ammerland dispersal, but I knew that was coming along. “But, you could buy 50 mares such as her and you might never get an update come up afterwards, so we are lucky. Though, when you buy from those deep pedigrees, things can happen.” When the mare was offered for sale in France, the consignors also had photos of the baby Light The Ghost to show Burns; a neat sales move showing just what a smart foal the mare had produced. Haven, by the late

But, you could buy 50 mares such as her and you might never get an update come up afterwards, so we are lucky. Though, when you buy from those deep pedigrees, things can happen.” Wootton Bassett, was the first foal bred out of the mare by Loughtown right from conception and as Burns says, “using Wootton Bassett was obvious.” This year’s yearling filly is by Blue Point, a son of Shamardal, and so she is closely related to Lope De Vega. “I had it in my mind when I bought the mare with that Lope De Vega connection that whatever son of Shamardal put his head above the parapet, that’s where it’s going to go. “When Blue Point had kicked on with his first crop, that’s when we decided it’s going to be him.” Aside from all that is going on in the female family, the timing has been perfect for Burns as Blue Point has had been enjoying a brilliant season headlined by three new Group 1 winners, Blue Bolt, Samangan and Folsom Blues. Of the yearling, Burns says, “She is very like her mother, probably with a bit more substance.” The mare has an Havana Grey filly foal and is in-foal to Frankel – if all goes to plan the resulting foal will be a close relation to the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera third Lady Frankel.

Lot 24 The first from the quartet of family members through the Book 1 ring will be Lot 24, a Galiway filly and the first foal out of Gentle (No Nay Never),

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Lot 24: the Galiway filly out of Gentle, a No Nay Never daughter of Light The Stars from Tweenhills

Bred by Ammerland, Gentle was bought in a private sale at the Arqana August Sale 2021 for €180,000. Owned in training by Qatar Racing, Gentle achieved two fourth places in the UK before shipping stateside where she won a Del Mar maiden. The Galiway filly is due to be sold by Tweenhills and David Redvers said: “Gentle herself was the most stunning yearling. She was big and scopey, and she had an inordinate amount of ability, but was a bit quirky. When she won in Del Mar, she did it well and was and she’s retired here. “This is her first foal — we sent Galiway three very nice mares in 2024 and he has produced us three very smart fillies.” Redvers explains the decision behind the Galiway coverings. “We were looking for a cost-effective, yet proven stallion; there is a significant shortage of stallions in the £10,000£20,000 range and with that level of proven ability as a sire. “We thought we’d give him a try, and we sent him three good young mares and it has worked out well — the first one we have offered was sold at Arqana

[Lot 136] for €117,000.” Of the sales prospect out of Gentle, he says: “As this filly has always been one of the standout physicals in her group, we decided to take the Book 1 option with her because she’s such an impressive type. “She is handling her prep brilliantly and is a real class act. She’s a big, strong girl and is a really nice mix of Galiway, No Nay Never and Sea The Stars. “To be honest she’s like an oil painting, and it is hard to imagine a better-looking filly. She has an outlook and an athleticism that will make her look in the right place in Book 1.” He adds: “The mare’s got a colt by Kameko and he’s a very smart foal, and she is back in-foal to the stallion. She’s produced only two foals so far, they’ve both been exceptional, and she’s got the makings of a very smart broodmare.”

Lot 79 Stratford Place Stud is set to offer an Ace Impact colt out of the two-timewinning Hurricane Run mare Lavande Violet, a half-sister to Light The Stars. (Lot 79).

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Breeder Chris Wright owns the farm and so we come full circle as his bloodstock advisor is De Moubray, who made sure he used the “keep to families you know” buying philosophy and investment mantra for the benefit of his client. Lavande Violet was bought by Wright at the Tattersalls December Sale 2018 from Ammerland and Newsells Park Stud for 90,000gns. So far in her breeding career, she has produced six winners from seven runners, the best being The Last Waltz, a French Listed-placed daughter of Golden Horn. “Lavande Violet is a beautiful mare by Hurricane Run, and when Ammerland decided to disperse its bloodstock, I mentioned to Chris that there was a mare I knew all about and he should consider her,” says De Moubray. “The first bred entirely by Chris is The Last Waltz who was Listed placed and is now in Newsells’ ownership bought as a four-year-old at the Arqana December Sales in 2024 for €200,000. “This foal by Ace Impact is the best she has produced so far — I think this is the year to get into one by the sire.”

Lot 738 In Book 2 is the most distant relative to Light The Ghost — the racing updates only popping up under the Sea The Stars colt’s third dam. Set to be consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment, the colt is out of the Shamardal mare Nectar De Rose. She is out of the French Group 3 winner Bal De La Rose, a daughter of Lady Vettori. Nectar De Rose is a half-sister to the German Group 1 winner Danceteria. The colt was bred by Sunderland Holdings, Nectar De Rose bought from Haras d’Etreham by Mandore International for €200,000 at the Arqana August Sale 2012, having been bred by Berend Van Dalfsen, who had also bred her dam.

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final objective

A timely Objective Breeders Richie Galway and Justin Carthy are looking forward to the Goffs Orby Sale Book 2 – they are due to sell the Blackbeard half-brother to Final Objective, winner of September’s Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes

OT 744 IN THE GOFFS ORBY SALE BOOK 2 can boast one of the biggest updates of this yearling-sale season — the Blackbeard colt is a half-brother to Final Objective, winner of September’s 5f Flying Childers Stakes (G2) and previously a runner-up in York’s 6f Gimcrack Stakes (G2). The half-brothers were bred by the breeding partnership of Richie Galway and Justin Carthy out of the Exceed And Excel mare Sneaky Snooze. She was bred by Nanallac Stud and bought by Galway’s Knockarigg Stud as a yearling at the Goffs Orby Sale in 2017 for €40,000. She ran just the once and has had three previous foals, Final Objective being her second winner from three runners The son of Sioux Nation was a Wathnan Racing-purchase from Longways Stables at the Goffs Breeze Up for £115,000. He finished second on debut before finishing a fine seventh at Royal Ascot in the Coventry Stakes (G2) beaten less than 2l despite hanging across the track. That waywardness prompted a visit from the vet and a subsequent castration operation. On his second start after being gelded he broke his maiden at Thirsk over 6f. In York’s Gimcrack, he was beaten

Final Objective was a very tough, hardy, strong-willed yearling, and a real good-looking sort three-quarters of a length by fellow gelding Arapaho Gold (Bayside Boy) before his neck victory from the filly Crownbreaker (Minzaal) in the Flying Childers. Wathnan’s connections are now talking about a journey stateside to the Breeders’ Cup. After the Flying Childers, jockey James Doyle said: “He has got decent form at 6f and this was his first start dropping back to 5f, and it wasn’t a problem. “He showed more than enough speed, and he was a bit wayward again late on. He’s not easy, but it’s more straightforward than he used to be.” Galway, who is racing manager at Punchestown Racecourse, is Jessica Harrington’s son-in-law and manages the trainer’s syndicate Alpha Racing, which hit the heights in 2025 with its Prix de l’Opera (G1) winner Barnavara, sold to Yulong at the Tattersalls December Sale for 4,800,000gns. As a breeder, he keeps a broodmare

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band of two, and he takes up the story. “We bought Sneaky Snooze out of the Goffs Orby Sale as a yearling, I love the pedigree, there was a little bit happening in it,” he explains. “We put her in training and she just had a couple of issues, unfortunately, and it just didn’t work out. “We liked her as a physical and her pedigree and decided to stick with her as a broodmare. She was owned by a racing partnership in training and when that came to an end, Justin, who is a pal, got involved. “Her first foal was by Caravaggio and was a lovely filly. She is called Midnight Call, is still racing now and was second the other day. She has won six races, is a very consistent and fast filly; any horse who can do that has to be sound and tough. “We then had the Saxon Warrior, and he’s run a couple of times in Italy without much success and then we went to Sioux Nation, I did love him. “Both mares were covered by him – we went all in! The other horse is not too bad either and is with George Boughey, called Perfect Nation and has won a couple of races.” Galway’s own experience of Sioux Nation’s stock led him to patronise the Coolmore stallion. “We had a couple by the sire in the yard at Jessica’s and that was originally

final objective

Final Objective: winning the Flying Childers Stakes (G2), the gelding adding a significant update to Lot 744 in the Goffs Orby Book 2 Sale

what put me onto him — based on what I had seen they were all tough, hardy, sound horses; exactly what trainers love to get.” A price increase for Sioux Nation put him out of the budget for the mare’s 2024 cover, and so the team honed in on the Group 1-winning juvenile Blackbeard. “As Sioux Nation had jumped out of our price range we had to look elsewhere and because the Scat Daddy line has worked with the mare we went to Blackbeard.” If he has time, Galway preps the yearlings for sale at home himself, but come sales time, the youngsters transfer to Baroda’s care. Of Final Objective as a yearling, he says, “Final Objective was a very tough, hardy, strong-willed yearling, and a real good-looking sort. “Mick Murphy of Longways bought him from us to go breezing, and I think that was important as the colt ended up

in such good hands. Mick obviously did an excellent job with him — he did keep telling me over the winter how much he liked the horse! “It was fantastic to see him run so well in the Coventry and then progress as he has.” Of this year’s yearling, he adds, “We’ve ended up with a very similar model, a very similar type. He was a bit unfurnished early in the season when the sales companies were looking at him, but he’s filled out now, has really improved through prep and is a good-sized, solid yearling. “I think Blackbeard is having a decent start, his stock are perhaps not as sharp and precocious as he was, but they seem to be improving as the season has gone on. “He has got a lot of winners now [19 at the time of writing] and just needs a good one.” He laughs: “I hope my colt is going to stand out in Book 2!”

These are exciting times for the broodmare Sneaky Snooze — and there is the promise of much more to come as Galway is raving about her Paddington filly foal of this year. “I actually think her best foal is now in the paddock with her, she is a gorgeous filly,” he says. “The mare was late foaling this year and we ran out of time to cover the mare again, so she’s empty at the moment, and all options are open now with this filly, we shall have to see what happens next!” The second weekend in September proved to be one that Galway won’t forget in a hurry — not only did he get to watch Final Objective collect his Group 2, but Hotazhell, whom he purchased at the Craven Breeze Up for 200,000gns under the Silverton Hill banner won the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at 50-1. Galway will be hoping the September form continues into October.

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equine worms

The drugs don’t work Taken from the talk, “Equine Parasite Control – Changing Perspectives” given by parasite expert Dr Martin Nielsen, at the July seminar “Raising The Young Horse In Today’s Environment”, organised by Saracen Horse Feeds and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, Debbie Burt discusses the growing challenge of anthelmintic resistance and the problems associated with relying on drugs alone to control equine parasites. She also explores drug-free approaches for farms to ensure that youngstock and pastures are protected from dangerous levels of worm burdens. Equine parasitologist Dr. Martin Nielsen visiting a UK stud farm between the presentations he gave in Newbury and Newmarket in July 2026

E ARE ALL FAMILIAR with the assertion, wrongly attributed to Albert Einstein, that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. In the case of equine parasite control it has been found that the effectiveness of all three major classes of dewormers is in decline to varying degrees. This is hardly surprising when you consider that the most recent, Moxidectin [a semi-synthetic secondgeneration macrocyclic lactone derived from Streptomyces soil bacteria] was developed in the 1980s and there has been no further progress in developing any other anthelmintic [a medicine to treat parasites] in the last 40 years. Worryingly, it has already been reported on some farms in Kentucky there is a complete failure of all three classes against strongyles - the horses are still healthy, but there is no longer a treatment that will completely suppress these egg counts. However, just as it is accepted that we can happily live with bacteria in the gut, horses will always carry a degree of parasitic burden – our goal is to limit the risk of disease and impaired development that these parasites may cause.

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Foals, weanlings and yearlings and are known to be particularly vulnerable to parasitic infection. In addition to their susceptibility to cyathostomins and tapeworms, the greatest risk for foals and weanlings are ascarids, which are much less common in adults. At the same time, resistance is already well established in key parasites affecting these age groups in the UK. The additional stress associated with weaning can also increase a youngster’s susceptibility to the effects of a worm burden. As with antibiotic resistance in humans, overuse is a major factor. It

seems implausible now, but at one point in the US some anthelmintics were included in feed and administered daily. Toda, the accepted method is to reduce dewormer use in order to prolong the effectiveness of the anthelmintics we already have, for as long as possible. This should be through a targeted approach on the three main parasites, in order of importance below, and relies on using a Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) to determine treatment efficacy alongside proactive pasture management. The most widely documented resistance, that of small strongyles to

Benzimidazoles (see table), reports that it is 100 per cent ineffective, globally. This is documented in both working horses, where you would expect regular worming and therefore a build-up of resistance, and in feral horses kept in semi-free conditions on a reserve. Macrocyclic Lactones held up well against small strongyles, as they are the most recent development in anthelmintics. However, this seems rather complacent as there have now been 13 reports of resistance, all of which are in the last five to eight years [in Australia, Brazil, Finland, Italy, UK and

Worm types Tapeworm Oribatidite mites, carrying immature tapeworm larvae, live in the soil and grass and are ingested by horses either from pasture or from hay. The mite is killed by a horse’s stomach acid, but the larvae are released into the intestines to mature into adult segmented flat worms. They then can release their own egg-filled segments to be passed by the horse and ingested in the pasture by the mites. In temperatures above freezing, eggs can remain viable for up to nine months, however their lifespan once ingested by the mites is unknown. All equine age groups from about four months onwards are at a high risk of picking up tapeworms and subsequently developing disease and infections associated with a variety of colics and impactions.

Ascarids Commonly known as roundworms, they are most prevalent in foals through to yearlings, with older horses developing immunity meaning that infections are rare unless the horse is immunocompromised. Larvae ingested from pasture (survival can be for up to 10 years owing to a tough outer shell) burrow into the small intestine wall and enter the bloodstream to the liver and lungs over a course of 3-4 weeks. Then are then coughed up from the lungs, into the digestive tract and move on to the small intestine where

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they mature, producing eggs which are returned to the pasture via faeces. They are common on stud farms and, whilst the parasites can cause respiratory infections and poor condition, the greatest danger is from intestinal impaction, which can carry a poor prognosis even with surgery.

Cyathostomins Small strongyles (sometimes referred to as redworms, though many of them are not red!) and with over 40 different species, are the most common internal parasites for grazing horses. Larvae are ingested from the pasture, burrow into the lining of the large intestine, where they may become encysted before subsequently emerging when conditions are optimal, which may be anything from a couple of months to several years. Eggs are returned to the pasture via faeces. In a small number of horses, should the larvae accumulate and then emerge in a mass event, it can cause sudden and profuse watery diarrhoea, rapid weight loss, edema (swelling lower legs, chest and under the belly) and colic. In acute cases the fatality rate is 50 per cent (Lawson et al., 2023). The large strongyle (Strongylus vulgaris) is considered the most pathogenic, however regular deworming had reduced its occurrence. Currently there is full treatment efficacy to Strongylus vulgaris, however it may just be a matter of time before resistance builds.

equine worms

Timings of dominant parasites in the first year of a horse’s life

Courtesy of Dr Martin Nielsen

Anthelmintic reduced efficacy There are three classes of what we would consider to be “modern” anthelmintics, all of which are reporting failure or reduced efficacy

BENZIMIDAZOLES [Panacur] Introduced: 1960s

strongyles ascarids cyathostomins tapeworms

US], and has been seen especially in the thoroughbred industry. There are also multiple reports of total drug failure against small strongyles across all three anthelmintic classes in Kentucky. There has been less reporting of Benzimidazoles efficacy against Ascarids (only 13 studies), and for the time being at least they can be considered effective, however the concern with Ascarids is a 100 per cent reported resistance to the Macrocyclic Lactones. There are only two options against Tapeworms and from 2023 there have been multiple reports from vets in Kentucky, Normandy, Japan and the UK of resistance to both dewormers on thoroughbred farms. It is interesting that there is resistance to both as they are very different drugs with very different modes of action. Faecal egg count techniques are not as effective at reporting on tapeworms so it’s possible this wasn’t apparent until it was a much bigger problem. It should also be noted that there are no alternative treatments for tapeworms. The effectiveness of anthelmintics on small strongyles during the encysted

larval stage is particularly important. Their larval life cycle goes through three distinct developmental phases. The early phase sees penetration of the lining of the large intestine (intestinal mucosa) depending on the environmental conditions (e.g. the host’s immune system or extreme weather conditions), and this can be brief (if conditions are favourable) or long (becoming dormant as a survival strategy), a period which sometimes can last up to several years. The two later phases are usually grouped together, when larvae develop and emerge from the mucosa - if there is a mass emergence the risk of intestinal damage and life-threatening disease is greatest. There are two anthelmintic treatment options targeting these stages: a fiveday course of Fenbendazole (different dosages in the US and Europe – efficacy levels are the same) or a single dose of Moxidectin. When first introduced, the five-day course of Fenbendazole had efficacy in the high 90 per cent for both the early and late stages, but recent studies show they are not as effective as they were, whilst Moxidectin has always had

Ascarids First reported resistance: 2010s Studies reporting resistance: 3/13 Cyathostomins First reported resistance:1960s Studies reporting resistance: 58/58

PYRIMIDINES [Pyrantel] Introduced: 1970s Tapeworms First reported resistance: 2020s Studies reporting resistance: n/a Ascarids First reported resistance: 2010s Studies reporting resistance: 4/16 Cyathostomins First reported resistance: 1990s Studies reporting resistance: 34/37

MACROCYCLIC LACTONES [Ivermectin/Moxidectin] Introduced: 1980s

Tapeworms First reported resistance: 2020s Studies reporting resistance: n/a Ascarids First reported resistance: 2010s Studies reporting resistance: 29/29 Cyathostomins First reported resistance: 2010s Studies reporting resistance: 13/57 Courtesy of Dr Martin Nielsen

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equine worms

Effects of temperature on Strongyles development and survival Development

By Dr Nielsen

Survival

No development above this level

> 40 °C

Free-living stages die rapidly. Intact fecal balls may retain enough humidity to enable L3 to survive for some weeks.

Optimal temperature range for development of eggs and larvae. Reach infective L3 stage in as little as 4 days.

25–33 °C

Larvae survive on the shorter term (ie a few weeks), but conditions are too warm for long term survival.

Eggs develop into L3 within 2–3 weeks.

10–25 °C

L3 capable of surviving for several weeks to a few months.

Lower limit for egg hatching is about 6 °C. At temperatures in this range, development will take several weeks to a few months.

6–10 °C

L3 survive for many weeks and months under these circumstances.

No hatching and no development

0–6 °C

Eggs and L3 can survive for several months at temperatures just above the freezing point.

No development during frost

< 0 °C

Developing larvae (L1 and L2) are killed, but unembryonated eggs and L3 can survive and persist for long periods (i.e., months).

Alternation between freezing and thawing will usually not lead to development unless temperatures exceed 6 °C

< 0 > °C

Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are detrimental to egg and larval survival.

variable results on both larval categories. At one point in the UK this was a recommended annual treatment, however there was not enough conclusive evidence, and this recommendation has been removed. Neither options work particularly well and nor will either treatment completely eliminate the parasites. It is a common misconception that treatment should chemically “clean out” every parasite; indeed, the presence of a low parasite burden is not necessarily detrimental to the horse. Recent studies with Strongylids show that the egg reappearance period (ERP), the time taken for eggs to reappear in the faeces following deworming, has been more than halved in the last 30 years to between four to eight weeks

...when larvae develop and emerge from the mucosa – if there is a mass emergence, the risk of intestinal damage and life-threatening disease is greatest depending on the drug used. This can be an early indication of reduced drug susceptibility, although seasonal factors can also influence larval development, but with the eggs coming back into the environment more

quickly there is a greater opportunity for infection – so pasture management is the key to mitigating this. Whilst some may conclude that the requirement is to treat more quickly i.e. once a month, this will only increase future resistance. It should be noted that egg reappearance can only be measured if the eggs disappear directly after treatment, if they don’t disappear you can’t record them reappearing.

The vital importance of Faecal Egg Count Reduction Tests Drug performance on your farm can only be confirmed by carrying out a Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT), which can be used to assess treatment efficacy against Strongylids

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equine worms

and Ascarids across the different classes of anthelmintics. The test must conform to the guidelines set out by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (UK guidelines can be found on the Canter website, see web address at the end). The guidelines govern factors including the number of horses in the sample group and the number of eggs counted, providing a statistically sound basis from which to assess reduced efficacy or resistance. The resistance is calculated by looking at the variations between counts (not the mean average) relative to the upper (expected) and lower (least acceptable) thresholds given for each anthelmintic class. Online tools are available and the test can also be done without rigidly following these guidelines (e.g. group size, egg numbers), but there must be a positive egg count before treatment.

The most important reason for running faecal egg counts is to test for resistance – otherwise it can’t be known if the treatments used actually work. With a smaller group size, greater caution is required when interpreting the results. The most important reason for running an FECRT is to test for resistance – otherwise it can’t be known if the treatments used actually work. A faecal egg count is not a direct measure of worm burden in the horse; it’s a measure of how many eggs a horse is shedding into the pasture.

Currently there are no guidelines for tapeworms, however similar protocols can be applied. Yearlings are the best to study as the likelihood of positive samples will be highest in this age group. Most methods are not very good at detecting and counting tapeworm eggs, however the “Proudman” technique is recommended, which is offered by some UK laboratories. Initial studies suggest that three counts, pre-treatment, 24 hours after [not always feasible] and then two weeks post treatment provide the best results to determine the percentage reduction in eggs. Tapeworm antibodies can be detected by an ELISA saliva test, but this will only confirm that a horse has been exposed in recent months, not necessarily if it’s currently infected. You only need to treat the positive cases, but a FECRT will still be required

So what can we do? Pro-active pasture management is key With only three classes of anthelmintics, all of which are reporting resistance, focus needs to shift towards effective pasture management. This will vary depending on seasonality, country and the geographical location within a country. We often talk about a cold snap killing off all the germs, but parasites actually like snow and continual cold – what does not suit their life cyle are repeated rounds of frost and thaw. During warmer weather parasites are more active, but this activity will use internal energy stores – once depleted, they will die. The warmer it is, the quicker this will happen. Optimal conditions for egg and larvae development are around 25°C in moist conditions. In the UK, the main transmission season is likely to extend approximately from May to October so treatments can be concentrated during this period when egg shedding will be taking place, with infection levels peaking in late summer, early autumn. Pasture management is highly climate dependant but can have a huge impact on reducing infection pressure and controlling disease. Many farms have designated pasture for certain age groups which may exacerbate contamination. Rotating paddocks between yearlings (likely high presence of

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strongyles) and foals (likely high presence of ascarids) with older horses for whom egg counts are substantially lower can help counteract this. Stallions do not usually pose a problem, nor do horses in training, who often have limited pasture access or individual turnout. Grazing alongside ruminants, in particular sheep, or having them follow on behind, will remove the long grass left around faeces, creating a less-favourable environment for larvae by reducing shade, available moisture and allowing exposure to sun. Taking an early cut of hay may also have a similar effect, coupled with the delay in horses returning to the pasture until later in the year. Harrowing should be treated with caution as, unless there is a prolonged hot, dry spell after, the eggs will contaminate the whole pasture and not just concentrated in small areas. A combination of these approaches with the resting of paddocks, is also of benefit, the most effective being a two-year break, which is unlikely to be practicable on most farms, but a year or even one entire summer will help. Over the last 30 years there has been research into incorporating acid-resistant fungal spores into animal feed,

equine worms

to confirm the effectiveness of the treatment given. Using an ELISA test for small strongyles is only of use if the result is negative as the thresholds for a positive are so low. An invaluable UK resource for further reading is available at www. canterforhorses.org.uk which is updated with the latest recommendation on wormer resistance. For a detailed table summary of the prevalent parasites, appropriate tests and treatment by age group, please refer to chapter 11.1 of the Canter guidelines. To watch the Saracen talk given by Dr Martin Nielsen, and all other talks at the seminar, use this QR code.

Key points for a successful worming strategy • The goal is not to eliminate all parasites, but to reduce the risk of parasitic disease. • Different parasites have different life cycles, transmission patterns and susceptibilities to anthelmintics, so there is no true “all-round” dewormer. • A Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) is the only way to determine anthelmintic treatment efficacy. • Anthelmintic resistance in horses is widespread, shifting the focus from treatment to pasture management. • Regular faecal removal, pasture rest and rotation between different age groups, and mixed grazing with ruminants can help reduce infection pressure. • Yearlings have the highest worm burdens and egg counts, making them the primary source of pasture contamination. • Chain harrowing can spread infective larvae across pastures, preventing horses from selectively avoiding contaminated areas. • High-risk transmission seasons are typically spring through autumn.

which when passed by the recipient into the pasture, develop into nematode-trapping fungi which can kill strongylid larvae. A commercial product has recently become available, however it is climate dependent and further research is required to determine the feed frequency required to have a measurable effect. The most effective method is faecal removal. This is time-consuming by hand and fork, but paddock “hoovers” are now widely available. Best practice would be twice a week, and recent Swedish studies suggest this will virtually eliminate the larval population (Lind et al., 2022). It is clear that this is an area of equine welfare that has been under-researched for far too long, though it is understandable why it may have been difficult to attract interest. The HBLB has recently approved funding for research into equine parasitology to be conducted by Dr Martin Nielsen (Denmark) and Dr Laura Peachey (UK researcher), with the promise of further funding to come. In the meantime, it is best that a parasite-control programme should aim to manage, rather than eliminate, parasite burdens, reducing the risk of disease while maintaining the horse’s health. Routine rotational worming should be abandoned in favour of targeted treatment, with overall anthelmintic use reduced where appropriate and efficacy monitored through FECRT, alongside consideration of seasonality and pasture management.

It is beneficial to run a flock of sheep or cattle through a paddock after horses have grazed and as part of a rotation system in order to clear up areas of long grass around faeces and exposing worm larva to sunlight

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photo finish: laytown

HIS ENIGMATIC picture shows Roman Harry ridden by Chris Hayes going to post. The pair were due to contest the 7f handicap at Laytown, the race part of the one-day-a year meeting held in September, the unique racing staged on the beach. Although the son of Harry Angel was a previous winner on the beach track when he broke his maiden in 2024, the beach form for the Sean Duffy-trained six-year-old has dropped off — he could only beat one home his year having finished ahead of just two rivals in the same race in 2025. Hayes failed to ride a winner at the meeting, and the leading jockey this year was amateur Harry Swan, who rode a double on the card from his two booked rides. His winners came courtesy of Hugge, trained by Gordon Elliott and a son of Persian King. He was bred by Godolphin, did not run for that team and was bought by Durcan Bloodstock for

Photo: Laszlo Geczo

22,000gns at the Tattersalls February Sale in 2025. He has since finished fourth four times over hurdles before breaking his maiden on the Flat at Killarney over a mile. He then was successful over hurdles at Cork. He is a pretty well-bred sort – dam Hanky Panky finished third in the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes and is a half-sister to Mariah’s Storm, the dam of Giant’s Causeway. The Iron Horse was versatilty himself winning Group 1s on all types of Turf going and before his neck second to Tiznow in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), a race run on the Dirt surface at Churchill Downs. Swan’s second winner came on board Initial Blue, a four-year-old son of Blue Point, trained by Jack Davison. It was the gelding’s first start with the team, bought by agent Barry Lynch and Davison out of the Richard Newland and Jamie Insole yard for 16,000gns at Tattersalls in July, and specifically for his owner to have a runner at Laytown.

The gelding made every yard off just a 3lb higher mark than when scoring on the Kempton All-Weather six days before being sold. He can be expected to be a regular at Dundalk over the winter. Bred by Razza Vedano, he was sold as a foal by Deer Park Stud to Grangemore for €90,000. Reconsigned as a yearling he was a Stroud Coleman 200,000gns purchase in the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale in 2023 by SackvilleDonald for King Power Racing. He won on the All-Weather in the November of his juvenile year for Richard Hannon, but failed to win again for the trainer and was returned to the sales in October 2025 when he was bought by the Insole team for 9,000gns. He subsequently won three races all over 6f at Kempton and off BHA marks between 55 and 62. Out of the Oasis Dream mare Summer Dream, he is a half-brother to the Listed Redcar Two Year Old Trophy winner Summer Daydream.

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